


Trick Play

by cherrytiger10



Category: Eyeshield 21
Genre: Drama, F/M, Gen, Japanese Culture, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-19
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-20 16:32:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/889435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrytiger10/pseuds/cherrytiger10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiruma has disappeared during a crucial time in training for the Saikyoudai Wizards. Mamori sets off to look for him and bring him back, but there could be more to Hiruma's situation than she realised, and it may lead to the two of them making the biggest trick play they've ever planned and executed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After almost a year of planning, I'm ready to present a new multi-chapter fic I've had in mind for my favourite pairing ever, HiruMamo!
> 
> Important points! I will be mentioning a character that was only mentioned in the Eyeshield 21 novel "The Fierce Hundred Game". There is little to no info on her, but I am involving this character on what little I have read of the novel. Be known that I haven't read it fully and my interpretation of that character may be off. In a sense, you can treat her like an original character of mine, but do know some of the facts I'm presenting about her is canon based on the novel.
> 
> I will explain more on this later. For now, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of this new fic!

It was when her aching legs began to protest that Mamori figured she had reached her limit. Wiping her brow as she gulped in more deep breaths, she decided that she needed to rest and that there was enough time for a short break.

She hoped.

Sitting on a railing by the road, she pulled out a bottle of water and drank deeply as her eyes scanned the scenery around her. She had been following this road, walking for over an hour on an uphill slope and she was sure she probably had another half hour to go before she reached her destination. The bus she had taken to get to Igaho had broken down, and upon deciding that she had wasted enough time trying to reach her destination, she'd picked up her stuff and began to walk. The distance was ridiculous and much of the walk had been a trek uphill, but as she slipped her bottle back into her bag, she took another deep breath and savoured the fresh mountain air. The view of the hills green and bright under the hot sun winked a reminder to keep going before it got dark.

Well, moments like these weren't so bad. The air got cooler as she kept walking anyway. Sighing, she pulled out a packet of biscuits for a quick snack. They were a poor cry from her favourite creampuffs, but she had to pack light. She wasn't sure how long she would be stuck in Igaho, and it all depended on whether or not she could find a particular demon Quarterback who had mysteriously disappeared in the last week of Summer training.

Already the idea of Hiruma being missing during training sounded ridiculous. But with only a text to say that he had an emergency to attend to and nothing else, nobody at the Saikyoudai Wizards knew what to think. They could continue to function without him shouting expletives and shooting them down, but this was their last tournament for the Fall season in their build up to the Rice Bowl. Even he knew how crucial this last week of summer was supposed to be as this was their last long holiday before classes and the tournament began.

They hadn't even mastered some of the new trick plays that he'd wanted to do. So for him to disappear like this meant that it must be serious.

A call from Doburoku confirmed this. The owner of the Kitae Ryokan, Sugiyo, a good friend of Doburoku who also played a vital role during the Deimon Devil Bat's training before, had informed Doburoku that Hiruma was here in Igaho and that the situation was rather serious. Despite it being so, she'd warned him that having a whole team of people there might jeopardize the sensitive situation...

But Anezaki Mamori may be able to do something.

Upon hearing this, Mamori didn't hesitate to leave the team under Yamato's leadership, pack her bags and take the first train up North West. Igaho may not be that far, but going up the hills was tricky. And of all the times, the bus had to break down on the way up. But that wasn't Mamori's main concern.

She was concerned over what had happened to Hiruma. What could have happened that Sugiyo would even call Doburoku to get help? How sensitive was the situation? Was it that bad, was Hiruma hurt in some way? And how could she help in this situation?

Filled with new determination, Mamori kept her remaining biscuits, got up, set her backpack on her shoulders and began to walk uphill again. Whatever it was, she was determined to bring Hiruma back to Saikyoudai, and if there was anything she could do to help, she would do it.

As she trekked on the silent road, she tried to recall if anything about Hiruma had changed recently. Knowing what he was like, she was sure he would never reveal any particular problems, especially if they were personal. But could something have been bothering him before that? Was this something that had been building up for months before? Could she have prevented it sooner?

She shook her head. She was worrying too much again, a habit she still struggled to curb, at least in her thoughts. The most that she could recall was Hiruma checking his phone a little more regularly than usual during the summer, but he'd said he was merely getting in contact with other teams for some practice games. And they did end up having those practice games, so she hadn't thought much of it.

But now that she really thought about it, he always had a serious look on whenever he checked his phone. It was too small a moment to really be sure, but she had gone up to him to ask if something was wrong. Cause for a moment, she'd felt sure he looked sad.

No use jumping to conclusions now. She will have to arrive at the Kitae Ryokan and speak to Sugiyo about this as she was the only one who seemed to know what was really going on. It was getting dark now, the sun was setting in a distance and she was finally reaching the small town. But she knew Kitae Ryokan wouldn't be in it.

She took out the slip of paper on which Taka had kindly drawn her a map, as her attempts of drawing one had failed dramatically to the point that even she couldn't read it. Kitae Ryokan was situated near the forest and it was an ideal place for training in any form of sports. Set just by nature, with the cool mountain air and hot springs, it's an ideal place for sportsmen. Going off the road, she felt sure she was getting closer, so she checked her map again and...

The sound of what she thought was a plate being smashed forced her to look up from her map and in the direction the sound had came from. It was still quite a distance, and she had forgotten how remote the Ryokan could be, but she felt sure this was the right place.

She began to sprint forward, wondering if someone was injured and needed help. Dim lights were already set in the Ryokan, becoming a soft beacon to guide her. She heard a loud, booming voice, but couldn't decipher the words. As she got closer, she heard what seemed to be a lot of mumbling between what she felt sure was an older man and woman. The conversation was not pleasant at all and she felt her heart sink.

Was Hiruma a part of this?

As she was about to reach the compound, she spotted a woman in a kimono, silver grey hair pinned up in a neat bun, a pocket watch in her left hand, walking towards her. Mamori instantly recognised her.

"Sugiyo-san!" she called out as she ran towards the elderly lady.

"Anezaki-san, you are late," said Sugiyo, as she glanced at the pocket watch. "The bus should have arrived half an hour ago.

"I know!" panted Mamori as she stood before Sugiyo, swallowing quickly as she continued. "The bus broke down, and I couldn't sit still, so I walked all the way.

"Hmph," she replied, but her smile showed that she was impressed. "Well then, I suppose timing your arrival is irrelevant. You are not here for any particular training after all.

"Is Hiruma-kun here?" Mamori quickly asked, glancing at the Ryokan with its paper thin walls. She couldn't see anyone, but she could still hear angry mutterings in the back.

Sugiyo's smile stretched further, her eyes almost playful. "Oh yes, he's here. He's been staying here for the past two days now.

"Where is he? Can I see him?" Mamori was desperate to see him as the mutterings grew and reverted to shouting.

Despite sensing Mamori's concern, Sugiyo didn't seem all that bothered by the obvious ruckus happening in her Ryokan. "You will see him... but I suggest keeping your distance until this gets settled. If it ever does..." she cackled a little, then waved at Mamori to follow her into the Ryokan.

"What's going on, Sugiyo-san?" Mamori pulled off her shoes and arranged them to the side as quickly as possible.

"Put these on," said Sugiyo, giving her indoor slippers. "Stay quiet. Do not speak unnecessarily. Just watch and observe. You will understand the situation better if you do so."

Mamori held her breath as she walked down the unusually dark hallway, the only source of light available came from one of the rooms where the source of the commotion was coming from. She could hear their words clearly now.

"You show no respect to me, and you expect me to fulfil your wishes after you deliberately tried to kill me just now!"

"It is not a wish! It is a demand! Stop hiding behind these false pretences, and do as I say, damn it!"

"You filthy, lowly creature! How many times must I repeat myself to make you understand?"

"As many times as it takes!"

"Then you will receive the same answer until the day you die!"

They were standing in front of the door now, Sugiyo's hand resting on the side of the sliding door. "Sugiyo-san..." Mamori whispered, fear filling her. The tension in the air was frightful, the threat of death getting to her. While none of them sounded like Hiruma, the idea that he could be involved in this was too much.

Sugiyo, aware of how afraid Mamori was, spoke to her softly. "Don't worry, this has been happening for quite a bit now. They threaten to kill each other, but they won't as long as I'm here."

"... But what can I do? How can I help?" Mamori couldn't understand what was going on. How did Hiruma get involved in this? And why did Sugiyo ask her to help out on this?

Sugiyo grinned. "We'll just have to see, Anezaki-san."

And with that, she opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you could guess by now, Sugiyo is the Eyeshield 21 novel exclusive character. You can find her on the cover, or even one of the [insert pages](http://24.media.tumblr.com/5690b08f450c119b81e3cca3377aa20c/tumblr_mkys14omU41s1r3pmo2_500.jpg). It is a fact that she owns Kitae Ryokan and the Deimon Devil Bats have trained there during the course of the novel which was set in their fictional place called Igaho which is on a hill. She is also familiar with Doburoku.
> 
> Whatever little interaction Mamori and Sugiyo had in the novel, it was a fact that Mamori admired Sugiyo for her administrative skills. But whether or not Sugiyo treated Mamori well, I'm not too sure. For the ease of this story, this is how I will present Sugiyo.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Got really busy this past week and had to edit this chapter quite a bit before I felt content with the direction. A big thank you to Elis for her help and pointers! It's a rather long chapter so I hope you all enjoy it. :)

Holding her breath as the door slid open, Mamori braced herself for their reactions, but the scene before her was even more bizarre than she had anticipated. As all eyes fell upon her, their anger subsiding into confusion, Mamori quickly scanned the room.

One yellow light on the ceiling tainted the room, making every shadow larger within the corners. A table sat beneath that light, one cup and one pot remaining on it despite there being two people seated. The woman was seated directly across the door so she was the first person to see Mamori. Wearing an expensive-looking kimono and sitting in an upright posture, Mamori concluded that she must be close to her fifties as she noted the graying hair and wrinkles. But the way she was looked at Mamori gave her an understanding of what it was like to be a deer caught in headlights.

"What is going on here? Who is this?" she asked, her voice hoarse from all the shouting she had just done. The shadows in the room made her look even more unnerving to Mamori as the woman's eyes scanned her from head to toe.

The man at the table, whose back Mamori faced initially, had turned around now and Mamori took a good look at him. His hair was also graying, but his facial features... "Sugiyo, what is going on? Why did you bring this stranger in?" he asked. "She doesn't belong here"

"Yeah, she doesn't."

Mamori's eyes widened at the familiar voice. Standing in the left hand corner of the room, where the shadows shrouded him even more, stood Hiruma. His arms were crossed, and while she could barely make out his face in the darkness, his eyes continued to question her presence.

Mamori gaped, wondering what to say. _I'm sorry for interrupting? I was just here to bring Hiruma back?_ Even she knew this was something she shouldn't be involved in. But Sugiyo smiled at them, unwavered by the tension.

"I needed assistance in the Ryokan. The two of you are obviously creating too much of a mess for me to handle alone," said Sugiyo, her gaze pointedly focused behind the woman where pieces of a broken teacup lay.

The woman sniffed with an air of disapproval around her, her eyes never left Mamori. "She's a mess. Look at her clothes and her hair. She should have at least changed first. She's still carrying her backpack too. Are you so poor to only afford a foreign untrained staff?"

Mamori wasn't sure how to react to all this. Should she play along? What was going on? She looked at Sugiyo who merely waved her hand in dismissal. "I assure you, she is the best assistant I could ever ask for... in this situation."

Her last words were almost mumbled, but Mamori caught them. The woman was still unimpressed, but the man was looking at the woman again and tension continued to build up in the room. Sugiyo motioned for Mamori to put her bag down in a corner, and whispered that she would be bringing a broom and dustpan. For now, just stay quiet and watch the broken shards.

Nodding, Mamori quickly did as she was told. She looked at Hiruma, but he showed no interest in her at this point, and had instead resumed looking at the two people at the table.

"I suppose would you like to continue wasting our time?" the woman finally spoke up.

"Wasting OUR time?!" the man replied, fist curled on the table.

"Of course, you call me all the way out here when it was obvious I was going to refuse your request. Rather than waste your breath, you should be spending this time getting treatment and saving your poor excuse of a body."

"Does it look like I want treatment?!" The man almost stood up, leaning on the table as he did so, but he moved too quickly and he almost fell. Mamori gasped but stayed where she was. "There's only one thing I want and I don't care if I die because of it!

Let me see Kirie!"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "You really do want me to repeat myself. I'm tired of this. I will leave tomorrow morning and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

Despite his initially strong demeanour, the man's face slowly changed into one of defeat. Unable to even stand, he went on his knees, his head hanging low. "Please... you have to let me see Kirie... just one last time..."

"I've had enough of this nonsense. I shall retire to my chambers now." The woman stood up, preparing to leave.

"Stay where you are, Kaede."

Sugiyo entered the room once more, passing the broom and dustpan to Mamori, but she motioned Mamori to stay alert. Nodding, Mamori knelt before the broken shards and began to clean them up, making sure she did so quietly so as not to disrupt this heated conversation.

Sugiyo sat by the table, forcing Kaede to do the same. "What more do you want Sugiyo?" the woman named Kaede asked. "I came all the way out here as a favour to you, but you are obviously wasting our time with all this nonsense."

"Yes, you're all wasting my time," replied Sugiyo, pulling out her stopwatch. "You have all been here for a total of three days, four hours, thirty two minutes, three seconds and counting, and in not one of these seconds did you even properly resolve the issue that is at hand."

"There is no issue at all!" cried Kaede, losing her calm demeanour. "It is not my issue when this man's demand is ludicrous and he knows it!"

"He is asking to see his wife one last time, Kaede." Sugiyo looked at her with disdain. "It is a sensible demand considering the situation he is in."

"The rules are the rules, Sugiyo. No male member of the family branch is allowed on temple grounds. So neither he nor his rotten son may come."

As Mamori carefully picked up the smaller shards, the woman's words began to paint the picture for Mamori, but she was still terribly confused. Mamori looked at Hiruma, feeling sure that he had just been mentioned and wondered if he would explain this to her.

But he refused to look at her, and instead continued to watch the two people. It was then that Mamori felt shame wash over her. She shouldn't be here. She shouldn't even be involved in this personal matter at all. Why did Sugiyo invite her here?

Sugiyo was deep in thought at Kaede's words. "So let me make this clear, only females related in some way to the Sato family branch can enter the temple? And even though you have full power to do so, you will not recover Kirie?"

"I see no reason to remove her from her final resting place. Hiruma Yuuya," Kaede glared at the man before her. "I will, in no way, do any favour for you after the pain you have put my sister and I through."

Mamori had cleared up every little piece of the porcelain shards and in the deathly silence through which Kaede's words resounded, she heard the slight waver in Kaede's voice. As Mamori stole a glance at the man, Hiruma Yuuya, the shadows had completely claimed his face.

There was nothing left to be said.

Kaede stood up and left promptly, not without glancing at Mamori for a moment, still with an air of disapproval. The tension in the air began to dissipate, but what was left made Mamori even more uncomfortable.

It was despair.

Hiruma finally moved away from the corner, approaching his father. "Get up," he said.

Yuuya nodded, and without another word, Hiruma bent down and hauled his father up by his under arm, allowing the old man to lean against him. Mamori got up to help, but Sugiyo held on to her shoulder, shaking her head. Once the two of them left did Sugiyo finally speak.

"You can go to the back area to talk to him. There is a lot that needs to be discussed."

"Why...?" Mamori asked, her voice shaky from fear and sadness. "Why did you ask me to come here?"

Sugiyo's usual grin was replaced by another expression that Mamori had never seen before. Whatever this situation was, if it made Sugiyo smile that way... "Because there may be something you and Youichi might be able to do to solve this."

Mamori was about to ask how, but Sugiyo had taken the dustpan and broom from Mamori and left the room. Confused, but determined to at least do what she could, Mamori took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and quickly went outside to where Sugiyo had instructed.

It was already dark, and there wasn't much light around as most of the outdoor lamps were dim, but it was enough to see Hiruma casually walking towards her as if it wasn't a big deal. Mamori had expected him to be angry, to demand why she was here and how dare she intrude in his personal matters. But he looked exhausted, and somewhat informed of why she was here.

"That damn old lady sure had the nerve to invite you here."

"I'm sorry," her words tumbled out. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was this serious and I really shouldn't have been involved in something so personal."

Hiruma didn't say a word, he merely continued to look at her. Mamori wasn't sure how to interpret what he was feeling at that moment. He looked almost apologetic as well.

"Is... is your father alright?"

"He's fine. Fucker wore himself out after a day of shouting and throwing things around. Fucking asked for it."

"... Are you alright?"

Hiruma's eyes seem to sharpen at the question, but he grinned. "Keh, how do you expect me to answer that one?"

Mamori cringed. "I'm sorry. I'm just so worried but I don't know what to do..."

"Stop worrying, Fucking Manager, this isn't a burden for you to carry."

"I know it's not my place to pry but..." Mamori hesitated, but surely there was a reason for her being there. "Just… What's really going on, Hiruma-kun? Why is your father reacting that way? Why are you involved?"

Hiruma kept still for a moment. Then with one of his long fingers, beckoned Mamori to follow him as he began to walk. Mamori walked beside him, and it wasn't until they were out of the Ryokan did he begin to speak.

"If that damn lady brought you here, then she must have something planned that will have you involved. So I'll tell you everything."

There was a short pause which felt like a stab through her heart. Hiruma had always trusted her in a lot of things, but she knew it meant a lot for him to trust her in something as personal as this.

She nodded to assure him.

He didn't hesitate. "My father is sick. Cancer. Asshole finally smoked himself to his grave as predicted. What no one expected though was his sudden desire to see his wife again... Yeah, my mother."

Feeling rather embarrassed for the way she looked at Hiruma, she decided to keep her eyes forward on the dark road.

"Sato Kirie. She and her sister Kaede took care of a temple all the way in Akita. There is one major temple that the Sato family takes care of and handles, and they were both in charge of it... until Sato Kirie fell in love with Hiruma Yuuya."

They continued to walk on, and Mamori noticed the shift of tone in Hiruma's voice.

"Sato Kaede took over the temple once her sister was married. The Sato family didn't approve of the marriage one bit, so Sato Kaede claimed she had lost a sister. But it wasn't until her sister really lost her life did her words ring true."

Mamori opened her mouth to ask what happened, but shook her head. Hiruma noticed that.

"Accident. She was crossing the road. The car's brakes were faulty. At that time, that fucking old man I call my father was reaching the peak of his success but he couldn't afford his wife's funeral yet. So he allowed the Sato family to handle it.

Before he realised it, his wife's ashes were taken away and kept at the temple. He thought it was fine, that it was better that way. That was where she belonged after all."

"How about you? Were you okay with that?"

Hiruma narrowed his eyes. "I was a fucking kid. I didn't know what to think. All I knew was that my mother's gone and there was no way she was coming back. The Old Man wasn't that religious, so we never even built a shrine for her. She was gone, and we moved on.

So imagine how fucking surprised we were when he starts raving on about wanting to see his wife again."

"How did you all end up at the Kitae Ryokan? It's a strange place to be at."

"Can't say I care much about the relationships between these old people. The Old Man was here first, and then Sugiyo got Sato Kaede to come in. I was called in the next day because he started throwing things and Sugiyo needed someone to grab him when that happens."

"So the broken tea cup?"

"His work. Yes. He refused to seek treatment on his condition. He's determined to die but wants to see her ashes before that."

"... Why can't he see her?"

Hiruma was quiet for a moment. He led her down another path which seemed to be taking them back to the Ryokan. "There are many sections to the Sato temple, each steeped in its own tradition. The one temple Sato Kirie's ashes are in can only be entered by the females in the Sato family or its branches, family extensions. No men, no outsiders."

Mamori had heard of such traditions before, but to hear that it was still being practiced felt almost absurd. "Why was your mother's ashes kept in there, out of all places?"

Hiruma shrugged. "Obviously Sato Kaede had always wanted her sister back and she wanted to ensure she stayed there. That's why even though she could bring the ashes for the old man, she won't. So no matter how much my father begs or even threatens her life, she will never let go of her sister."

Frowning, Mamori wondered how hopeless the situation really was. "Can't _you_ do anything to get her?"

Hiruma grinned. "Were you hoping I'd blackmail my own darling aunt?"

"No! Well..." Mamori trailed off, raising her shoulders.

He cackled in response. "You know me too well, Fucking Manager. I thought about it, but I don't think even blackmail would get her to let go of her sister. I could probably have blackmailed her cousins that are staying there currently, but they're aware of my presence and my... abilities. Keh, she probably has more dirt on them than I do. Pretty sure nothing I do will make them let it go. And as much as I know where that temple is, I wouldn't want to mess with the Sato family and outright steal those ashes."

"I didn't say anything about stealing."

"I'm just letting you know I thought of all the possibilities," he grinned. "Unless a female family member from the Sato family, or a branch of the Sato family, agrees to bring those ashes out, that old man will never get his wish."

They were quiet as they approached the Ryokan. The sound of their steps and the loud chirping from the crickets were the only sounds filling in the silence between them. Mamori allowed the situation to sink in for a moment before asking Hiruma one last question.

"Do you really want your father to see your mother again?"

Hiruma was quiet as he kept his eyes on the Ryokan. He thought about it carefully before replying, "I don't particularly care. That old man will never seek treatment so he's going to die anyway." His tone shifted again with one word. "But..."

He was cut off. "There you two are. Seriously, thirteen minute and twenty seven seconds for a walk? Can you waste my time any further?"

Sugiyo stood by the entrance of the Ryokan, stopwatch in hand once more.

"Keh, didn't know you still wanted us around."

"Of course I need you two around. There is a lot to discuss."

"What's there left to discuss?" Hiruma asked, sounding annoyed by this as they approached her. "It's over, he's lost. Just let him die in misery."

"On the contrary, all isn't quite lost yet." Sugiyo grinned. "There is another possible route that can be taken. I hope you've kept Anezaki well informed, Youichi.

Because this will depend on what you two will decide."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to Elis for the help and making this chapter pretty fun to work on!

Sugiyo brought them into another room within the ryokan, one which was cosier than the other. It was a lot bigger, the decoration in a style more familiar to Mamori and reminded her of other more fancier ryokans she had stayed at with her family before. The last time the team was here, the boys stayed in a hall while Mamori and Suzuna slept in a room similar to the one she was in earlier. For Sugiyo to allow them to use such a fancy room simply for discussion aroused suspicion within Mamori.

Sugiyo had a tea set ready on the table. As they knelt on the cushions, Mamori was about to offer to serve the tea, but Sugiyo's hands were swift and she began to pour the hot liquid into their cups.

"So," Hiruma began, unwilling to wait for Sugiyo to be done. "What the hell were you harping on back there about there being another possible route?"

"Patience," she replied as she carefully filled the third cup. Then she picked up a cup and passed it to Mamori, who bowed her head lightly as she accepted it. She gave one to Hiruma, his left eye twitching in annoyance, though he took it.

It wasn't until after she took a sip out of her own cup, carefully savouring the slightly tense moment, did she continue. "The Sato family is a crafty one. When a member of the Sato family dies, there is a particular building prepared specifically to keep the ashes in. So there is no need to keep Kirie in that temple."

Hiruma didn't respond. Sugiyo took another long sip, prompting Mamori to ask the obvious. "So Kirie's ashes were purposely placed in that temple... out of spite?"

Sugiyo grinned. "It is easy to assume so, but maybe it's a lot more than that? Out of the two sisters, Kaede has always been the tight-lipped one. Who knows what her real agenda is. But with the recent turn of events, it's proven to be quite an obstacle."

Hiruma spoke up. "Look, who cares if that Fucking Old Man never sees her ashes. He wants to die anyways, and he will die whether he sees her or not."

"It's not just about seeing the ashes of his dead wife," replied Sugiyo, her eyes narrowed. "He is seeking redemption, to apologise and pray for her soul before he departs from this world and possibly sees her."

He snorted. "Are you fucking kidding me? That old man believes in that shit?"

The bitterness in his voice alarmed Mamori. "Hiruma-kun..."

"Don't even try to turn this into some religious story, you damn old lady," Hiruma snarled. "He didn't give a shit when she died, and all these years he didn't even think about seeing her. Fuck, he didn't even have tablets or any form of offering in the house dedicated to her memory. The man has gone fucking insane since he got diagnosed, he's calling out for his wife in his dying wishes and doesn't know when to give up."

"So you're saying it's best to let him die in regret?" asked Sugiyo.

Hiruma narrowed his eyes. "I'm saying he deserves to die with disappointment. I'm sure she felt the same way."

The way he said that made Mamori's heart ache. This wasn't right... no one should say something like that. And she felt sure it must have hurt for even Hiruma to say such a thing.

Sugiyo let out a soft sigh as she carefully placed her cup back on the table. "I see that you aren't fully aware of the situation he was in when Kirie passed away. You are aware of the bad relationship between him and the Sato family, yes?"

"What about it?"

"Then consider this. There is a big rift between your father and the Sato family. Once your mother's ashes were taken away, he was actually instructed to forget her, to completely ignore the fact that a member of the Sato family had ever been married to someone of lower ranking, especially now that she has died. Hiruma Kirie never existed to the Sato family. And your father agreed to that out of guilt for failing to protect her. So of course, any form of memorabilia, pictures or anything that would remind the world that Hiruma Kirie existed would be removed. There was no way for him to perform any offerings or prayers for your mother.

Her marriage to Hiruma Yuuya never existed."

Hiruma remained silent for a moment, allowing this truth to sink in, but Mamori couldn't help but cry out. "That's terrible! How could they even do that? It's bad enough that they put Kirie's ashes in such a temple, but to make her marriage to Hiruma-kun's father non-existent?"

"I understand your anger, Anezaki-san, but you and I know well enough that it isn't in our place to lecture such ludicrous traditions. That is the way they run their family. We can gain nothing from questioning it."

"Then what do you propose we do?" asked Hiruma, arms crossed as he glared at Sugiyo. "You said that you have a plan, and it involves me and Anezaki. What could we possibly do to even fix any of this shit?"

Sugiyo let out a soft, amused laugh. She picked up her cup of tea once more, sipping it carefully as the eyes of the two youths watched her. "I'm glad you brought that up. While we can gain nothing from questioning the traditions of the Sato family, we can definitely challenge them."

"How?" Hiruma asked, curiosity buried within the word.

"As you know, only female members of the Sato family and its branches are allowed within that temple. The branches are of course, the members of the Sato family who married into other families but are still essentially a part of the Sato family. So regardless, they will have access to that temple.

Now, while they may be keen to pretend that Sato Kirie never married Hiruma Yuuya, they slipped up in one matter."

"What matter?" asked Mamori.

Sugiyo grinned. "Kirie's death certificate and other official documents state her name as Hiruma Kirie."

Hiruma's eyes widened at this point. "You have got to be fucking kidding me..."

Mamori was confused. "Eh? What is it?"

Sugiyo grinned. "This means that the Hiruma family is, regardless of the circumstances, a branch of the Sato family."

Hiruma growled. "Don't tell me..."

"Tell you what?" Mamori urged on.

"This means that all you need is a female to marry into the Hiruma family... and she will have access to that temple."

With that, Sugiyo was staring right at Mamori. And it was then that everything Sugiyo had suggested fell into place.

Mamori's jaw dropped. "Y-you... want me to marry Hiruma-kun? Actually marry him? Legally?"

"First of all, it's not that I want you to marry. I am laying this option down for you, to show that all is not lost. Secondly, yes this has to be a legal marriage if we are ever to convince the Sato family. Thirdly, the marriage is specifically to the one named Hiruma Youichi. Hiruma Yuuya is unfit for marriage as you are well aware of," Sugiyo laughed.

"This isn't a time for jokes, you fucking matchmaker," Hiruma's voice rose, barely holding back from shouting. "So this is why you bring the Fucking Manager all the way here? So that I can put a ring on her fucking finger and she can waltz into the temple and get my mother's ashes?"

"It will not be as simple as that, it seems," said Sugiyo. "There may be more to the Sato family that we may be unaware of. But the marriage will make retrieving Kirie's ashes possible, and who are we to deny that possibility?"

"But... it's marriage! An actual marriage!" Mamori's voice felt uncontrollable from the shock. "This isn't just me having to wear a ring... I'm going to be married! And to..." She couldn't help but glance at Hiruma, who seemed more intent on giving Sugiyo the worse death glare he had ever given to any American Football player.

"I hope you're not filled with the ideals of what marriage is supposed to be like, Anezaki-san," Sugiyo's eyes rested on her. "Marriage isn't just some form of union between two people in love. If you must know, marriages are more often than not meant to be treated as a business. A form of agreement between two individuals who then work together to achieve their goals. The common goals related to marriage are the usual; owning your own house, creating financial stability, building a family together, and so forth. Don't you agree?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"But for the two of you, it can be much bigger than that. The reason why I could even think of this as being possible is because from my observation, the two of you work together well enough for your common goal. And, dare I say it, you both also act like... excuse my rather crude example... an old married couple." Sugiyo laughed once more.

"Fucking old lady," Hiruma growled.

"Don't give me that tone. You may both argue because of your own stubbornness, but there is mutual respect and understanding between the two of you. Things may have been different back in high school, but your relationship has evolved throughout the years. Being married won't change the fact that you both wish to win the upcoming American Football tournament. That can continue. But the marriage will affect the Sato family, and who are we to deny that possibility? I'm sure you would want to get back at them, Youichi, or at least have an insider into the Sato family."

"Fucking old lady," Hiruma repeated. "Don't you dare suggest I use my manager for such a fucking retarded reason. If I want to get inside information of the Sato family, then I'll find my own fucking way to get it. You may think that marrying Anezaki won't change much because we act like a stinking couple already, parenting the damn team, but what you're asking isn't going to allow things between us to remain the same as always.

You're asking Anezaki to change her fucking name. If there are more rules to the Sato family, then she will have to bear the burden for it. If we have to prove we're married, she's the one who has to move in with me. Fucking get it now?"

Mamori held her breath for a moment as she watched Hiruma leaned forward, the fierce undertone in his voice crystal clear. "It is Anezaki's loss in this marriage. And I will not allow my manager to succumb herself to this over some fucking ashes."

"Wait."

Hiruma and Sugiyo looked at Mamori, surprised at the sound of her voice. Even Mamori was surprised herself. A lot of thoughts were rushing through her mind, making it hard for her to fully figure out what she was really thinking and what it was that she wanted to do. So her instinct took full control. "Just... wait for a moment. I'm sorry, Sugiyo-san, could you excuse the two of us? There's something I need to discuss with him."

Sugiyo nodded, sipping her tea. "Go right ahead."

Mamori shot up, grabbed Hiruma's wrist and pulled him out of the room. Her eyes remained forward as Hiruma spoke behind her. "What the fuck, Anezaki? What are you doing?"

"I... I don't know," she replied as they walked down the hallway.

"... You're not seriously considering it, are you?"

"Yes." Mamori shook her head. "No! I..." The kitchen was nearby. It would have to do. Entering it, she finally let go of Hiruma's wrist. She turned to see him giving her a rather irked look, but he stayed where he was, arms crossed and lips pressed together.

"So which is it?" he asked.

"Look, I..." She realised her thoughts were completely cluttered, mixed with emotions and a sense of urgency. She opened her mouth, but she couldn't place the right words. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Oh please let this be the right way. "Let's just consider what Sugiyo is saying carefully."

"Don't you dare consider the marriage seriously, Fucking Manager," Hiruma growled.

Mamori cringed. "But what if it really is the only way? What if the marriage can solve this? Let's just look at the situation more carefully, Hiruma-kun. I know marriage is a big responsibility, it's really serious and for us to even rush into this is absurd. But we need to consider the circumstances we're in." Mamori began to pace herself across the kitchen. "First, let's consider the fact that because of this mess you had to miss practice for three days."

"What about it?"

"Isn't it possible that this will continue? Your father will not stop until he has your mother's ashes back. He knows there's an obvious rift between the Hiruma and the Sato family, but he seems to have that stubbornness and anger which I'm going to assume is a Hiruma trait. Except that he is disoriented and weak, but that won't stop him from fighting. If that's the case, then he will continue to be reckless and you're the only family he has to stop him, and that will affect our future games. If we're married then-"

"You're not taking care of the old man too, Anezaki! Why the hell are you even considering this?!"

"I'm saying I am willing to share that burden with you, Hiruma-kun!" Mamori placed a palm on her chest, trying to calm herself. Why was her heart beating so fast? "This isn't just for you, this is for the whole team! This is for our dream to win the Rice Bowl! And I cannot deny the fact that this entire problem with the Hiruma and Sato family will continue to plague you until your father..." Mamori bit her lip. She couldn't bear to say it. "And who knows how long that will take so... If this marriage can help ease that somehow, can help you so that we can focus on our common goal then..."

"Do you seriously think that?"

"Eh?"

Hiruma sighed. He walked towards the kitchen counter and leaned the back of his hip against it. "You know, I've taken advantage of that fucking selfless attitude of yours countless times before. You make it too easy, and here you are doing it again. But for once in your life, Anezaki, think of yourself. You do realise how this will affect you right?"

Mamori tried to say it. She knew the list, but again the words and her emotions were mixing together so much, that the words only came as Hiruma spoke them out loud.

"You're changing your family name. You will be going under my family registry. You will be forced to do things to prove that this marriage is valid, which will even include moving in with me. Fuck, you may even have to do things for the Sato family to convince them of it."

"I know that!" Mamori cried, trying to swallow the emotions building in to her. It was only as she shouted did she realise what it was.

She was scared. "I know... but Hiruma-kun, I don't want you to face all of this alone. There's so much bitterness and despair going on right now, and I don't think... I _know_ you cannot handle this alone. So if I can be your ally, and if by being your ally means being your wife, then I'll do it."

Hiruma glanced away, digging deep into his own thoughts too. She knew he would never admit to him needing her help, and the seriousness of the situation did call for an ally. But was she really the best option? "What about your family?"

She flinched at his words. "... I don't know!" Mamori leaned against a different counter, trying to calm her thoughts down. He brought up a good point. What about her own family?

Hiruma let out another sigh as he stood straight to stop leaning against the counter. He began to take a step towards her. "I think it's best if we don't get your family involved any further in this mess. So if we do get married, this would mean having to hide your marriage from them."

Mamori nodded. "That's true. It would be best to hide this from them as much as possible. So maybe moving in with you may be a good idea? I don't think it would be much of a problem, seeing as the games are coming closer and with our exams coming up too, I'm sure I could come up with a way to explain this to them."

He was getting closer to her now. "You don't have to stay with me throughout the marriage anyway. Only when that damn Sato family is around and causing trouble."

"Right. And we'll wear our rings only when they're around as well. Hopefully they do not need much convincing about the Hiruma family being a branch of the Sato family, and this may all be over before we know it."

"We get my mother's ashes back, my father can finally stop being a giant asshole, we annul the marriage, you get back your name, and we win the Rice Bowl." Hiruma grinned as he finally stood before her. "Sounds like a plan. Our biggest trick play perhaps?"

Mamori laughed. "Really, Hiruma-kun? A Football reference for this?"

"We'll be fooling everyone around us with this marriage, don't you think? We want the Sato family to believe in the Hiruma family so we can take advantage of them. We have to keep this a secret from not just your family, but everyone else around us including the Wizards and everyone we play against. How can you not treat this as a game?"

Mamori continued to laugh, slowly feeling at ease. "Who would have thought that we would be pulling off a trick play even off of the field? The fact that I can totally follow your line of thinking proves that we just may be able to pull this one off too. Just..." Mamori sighed a little, her eyes lowered as she looked at Hiruma's shirt. She had an urge to hold him for a moment, as fear and doubt gripped her. "Just watch my back, okay?"

"Keh, I should be the one asking that. I don't know shit about marriage." He lowered his head to catch her gaze.

"As if I would know!" she snapped, but she kept eye contact with him.

"You're the motherly one, and you have both your parents too. Pretty sure you're the experienced one here!"

"Oh, don't be silly! We may be getting married but we're still going to go about our daily lives, arguing and plotting, just that we'll get through whatever obstacles ahead of us... together." Mamori smiled up at him, and realised that his towering presence alone felt comforting at that moment.

This may turn out for the better. And she felt sure he thought the same thing.

Hiruma's grin softened to one of a smile. "We're really doing this, eh?"

She giggled in response. "Let's discuss this further with Sugiyo-san."


	4. Chapter 4

Banba heard the familiar tone from his phone, alerting him of the mail he had just received. Staring at the bag that was placed near his feet, Banba decided it was too much trouble to get up at this point. Whatever it was, it could wait.

Fists wrapped tightly around the bar above him, he carried on lifting the 170 kg weight for the 86th time, counting his way to 100 when Yamato left the locker room, looking fresh after his own late night workout at the well-equipped Saikyoudai gym. Not everyone would stay in the gym this late, but Banba had a personal goal to achieve, and by the looks of it, Yamato had one too. Though instead of signing off with his usual cheery goodbye, Yamato looked a little concerned with his eyes glued to the screen of his phone.

"Have you checked your phone?" he asked.

"You're distracting me," Banba replied. 92... 93...

"I believe Anezaki sent a mail to all of us, you included."

Banba stopped at 95. It wasn't like him to stop when he was so close to reaching 100. But the Wizards manager had finally contacted them after leaving for over a day to search for their missing Quarterback. He looked at the clock in the Saikyoudai gym room, it was almost 10pm. "Took her long enough."

"And it looks like she would take longer." Yamato sighed as he placed his phone back in his pocket.

This didn't sit well with Banba. "Did she find him?"

"She did, actually. Just read your mail."

Banba reached for his bag and picked up his bottle of water first before grabbing his phone. He took big gulps as he checked his mail.

_I've found him and he's fine. Everything is alright, but it will take time to settle the issues he's having. I hope to hasten the process. We will be back in Tokyo by Monday and catch up as much as we can. Keep training. – Anezaki Mamori_

"Somehow this doesn't sound that assuring," said Banba as he threw his phone back in his bag. "It must be serious if it's taking this long to settle it."

"I'm sure there isn't anything to worry about for now," Yamato replied. "Knowing Hiruma and Anezaki, they're going to do whatever it takes to ensure this issue doesn't affect our future games any further."

"But if it really does involve Anezaki, you do have to wonder what sort of role she's playing. I hope he didn't get into anything dangerous that could endanger their lives. Like a mafia or something."

Yamato laughed. "Mafia?"

Banba shrugged. "It is Hiruma after all."

"Right, because of the guns and blackmail." He shook his head, though he remained amused. "Honestly, it's hard to predict when it involves Hiruma. It could be something incredibly drastic, or just some domestic issues that he needed Anezaki's womanly touch to handle. But there's no use speculating now." Yamato made his way towards the exit of the gym, his smile remaining as he turned to look at Banba for a moment. "Either way, we don't have our Quarterback and Manager with us for the rest of the week. Pretty sure a couple of the members would be sad to not have their favourite manager watch over them. The newbies are going to slack off, but I'm sure we all know what needs to be done, and that's what those two are thinking right at this moment."

Banba grinned as he laid back down on the bench press, the last sentence in Anezaki's message sprang forth in his mind as he lifted the weights five more times. There is training to be done. "Win the Rice Bowl."

~*~

Mamori read and reread her message over and over again before finally sucking her breath in, nodding in conviction that this was the right thing to say, and pressed the send button. As the little sent display appeared, Mamori tried to relax, but she still felt tense around her shoulders. Breathing in a couple more times, she told herself that this was not the time to have such doubtful thoughts.

Believing she had done what she could, she got up in time to see Hiruma opening the sliding door, Sugiyo behind him. "Are you done?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Good. He's awake."

Mamori nodded. "Let's go then."

She walked along the hallway with them, Sugiyo leading the way as Hiruma walked beside her. "I have just spoken to the people at the temple. I've confirmed that the ceremony will be held this Saturday. As it is Thursday night, approaching Friday morning, we have no time to waste."

She nodded once more. "Okay."

"So did you mail everyone?" Hiruma asked.

"To all the key players, yes," Mamori replied. "I'm sure they would all be really worried but I believe they would understand and keep training."

"Keh, not worried about them," Hiruma grinned. "They're the best players of Saikyoudai. Even if I'm shot dead, they'd still fight their way to the win."

Mamori cringed, then shook her head. "Don't say that, we're in a crucial position now and we're in this together. If you're not that worried about the team, why leave me in that room when I could be helping you or Sugiyo with the preparations?"

He glanced at her before looking forward again. "We're just getting the old man and damn woman ready for the 'special' announcement we're about to make, seeing how limited our time is after the discussion with Sugiyo. You might as well do something more important than that. In other words, I know you sent a message to someone more important than the key players of the Wizards."

Mamori froze for a second, her eyes wide and staring at Hiruma, who merely grinned at her. A flash of concern crossed her mind but she quickly pushed it aside as a low moan could be heard from one of the rooms ahead.

Sugiyo groaned. "He better not be trying to get up."

She moved quickly to open the door, Hiruma and Mamori behind her. To their surprise, Hiruma Yuuya merely got up from his futon to grab a glass of water beside him. The room was dark, barely lit by a lamp by his bedside. As they entered the room, Mamori took a good look at him, and thought once again that the Hirumas did look quite alike, except that he didn't have the elf ears Hiruma had, and his hair was jet black as Hiruma's should be.

"Yuuya, you could have waited," Sugiyo scolded. "I don't want you spilling water all over the floor. Frankly, I'm tired of cleaning up after you."

He shook his head in reply. His eyes were dead set on Mamori, and that was when she realised his eyes were dark brown, a different colour than Hiruma's green ones. He nodded at her, urging both her and Hiruma to sit down beside his futon.

Once they sat on the cushions provided, he finally looked at Hiruma. "Sugiyo told me a little bit of what is going on. Tell me more."

Hiruma narrowed his eyes. "Anezaki and I are getting married as a means to bring Kirie back. What more do you need to know?"

Yuuya frowned at his son's nonchalant reply. So he turned towards Mamori. "Are you okay with this?"

Mamori nodded, although her fingers clutched the hem of her shirt, stretching it. "We believe it is the best way to settle this issue."

He seemed to have noticed the tense tone in her voice, and he spat out his first word. "Keh. It's one thing to get my son involved, but for you to get involved is ridiculous. You are a stranger, an outsider. Don't force yourself into our problems, this is none of your concern."

"Fucking old timer," Hiruma growled.

"Honestly, making a fool out of marriage just to get Kirie back. Both of you are too young to get involved in this any further. I will find a way to get her back myself no matter what it takes, so you two idiots just stay out of this."

"You say the same shit all the time. If you could do that, we wouldn't be doing this in the first place, you idiot!" Hiruma snapped, but Mamori placed a hand on Hiruma's shoulder. She looked at him for a moment, and with a frustrated sigh, he nodded. "Fine."

Mamori smiled at him for a moment to thank him, then turned to Yuuya, raising her head in an attempt to ready herself. "Hiruma-san, I'm sorry for speaking out like this in a family matter. I want you to understand that I am not here to meddle, but to seriously figure out a way to solve this problem together," said Mamori, the tone in her voice becoming calm. "I do not wish to trouble you or your son further, but we both realise that this marriage could help-"

"This marriage helps NO ONE!" Yuuya barked, his own fists gripping the sheets. "Listen to me, young lady, you do not understand what you are dealing with here. This family, this feud, you would just get in the way, make things more complicated! Stop forcing yourself and stop this at once!"

"Yuuya!" Sugiyo snapped, but Mamori continued to talk in that calm tone.

"I am not forcing myself. I am already here, I am already involved," Mamori smiled. "And I cannot turn away anymore, so I believe that this is the right thing to do. I will be here for you, Hiruma-san, and I will be your ally, just as I have been with your son for the past five years now. The two of us have faced great opponents, many challenging obstacles, a lot of heartaches and pain. And we will continue to face them together, because we both have the same goal, and we both want to see it come true. And if this feud is getting in the way of that, I will fight alongside with him."

Yuuya's jaw dropped at the words Mamori had spoken. He looked at his son once more. "I know I have gotten you involved for too long, and I want you to go back and focus on your games. It will be over soon, so stop this. Don't marry each other and ruin your lives, your future."

Hiruma let out a cynical laugh. "Ruin our lives and future? If you keep this up there's no doubt you will ruin it for us anyways! Do you really expect me to believe that after you've been keeping me here for over three fucking days now and I've seen your condition, where you can barely stand and you're trying to kill someone, that you will somehow figure out a solution to stop this feud?"

Yuuya shook his head, looking weaker with each word being uttered. "This is ridiculous."

"Of course it's ridiculous! This entire fucking feud, you demanding Kirie back, you being sick, this whole shit we're facing is utterly ridiculous!" Hiruma leaned forward, his eyes gleaming in a familiar way Mamori recognised as one looking at a challenge, and he had a plan. "Which is why we need something as ridiculous as this to fight it back. And if there's anyone who can best support me and fight this ridiculous muck we're in, then it's this idiot right next to me."

Despite being called an idiot, Mamori took it all in stride. She supposed they were both idiots for still going along with this. "Please, Hiruma-san, please understand and support us. We need you on our side."

Yuuya began to grow weak, his body slumped forward. "... I still don't know if this is right. Why do you need me on your side? What do you want from me?"

"Your blessing," Hiruma quickly replied, though the word obviously tasted bitter in his mouth. "Because Anezaki won't be getting any from her parents, and she will need your support too throughout this marriage."

Yuuya seemed to straighten up at this. He looked at Mamori with such pitiful eyes that it confused Mamori. "I'm all right!" she assured him. "I need to keep my parents away from this as much as I can. But it would be great to have well... a family member supporting us. Hiruma-I mean... Youichi-san is against it. He just wanted to tell you after the wedding and keep you as distant as possible from our entire plan. But earlier when we were discussing the wedding, I convinced him that you are important in ensuring we bring Kirie back. We need you to be there for us in some way, even if it's just to bear witness to the wedding. So please...

Help us."

It was at this point that Yuuya finally laid back down, a tired sigh escaped his lips. They were silent for a moment as Yuuya breathed deeply for a couple of minutes, which seemed to calm all of them down. Only when his breathing became slow did he finally speak. "I honestly never saw you as the marrying type, Youichi," he said with a weary, morose voice. "After everything you've witnessed, all that I've put you through..." He chuckled. "You are cruel, and reckless, but you did it to survive. And admittedly I taught you nothing about caring for another so I fear this union would only result in a lot of pain and heartbreak. But..."

Yuuya closed his eyes and continued. "I know... You have met many people who have taught you kindness, compassion and strength. And this woman next to you continues to exemplify that. You are strong in your own way, Youichi, but you are stubborn, and sometimes selfish. My request is that you care for her, better than I did for Kirie, and protect her. For this feud, her role, will surely take its toll on her. It will not be easy but..."

He opened his eyes for a moment to reach out and grab both Hiruma and Mamori's hands, placing them between his hands with their hands laid on top of each other.

"You have my blessing. Even if it is temporary, I wish this marriage great success. Go and tell Kaede. It has begun."

~*~

Sugiyo had left after that to check on Kaede, leaving Mamori and Hiruma in the room, silent until Yuuya had finally fallen asleep. They continued to hold hands, even after Yuuya let them go. They shared glances at each other, wondering what to do or even say next. Everything was going by so fast, and it was far from over.

The heavy words Yuuya had spoken seemed to hang above them, it urged Hiruma to finally speak up. "He has a right to worry about me," he said with a quiet voice unlike him. "He knows I will be the one to make this fucking marriage fail."

"Don't say that." Mamori gripped his hand in hers as she felt his own slowly slip away. "He may have a point. You are cruel, you are stubborn, you are selfish. But I know you, I know you did all that to win, to have that one moment of glory in your hands. If this marriage fails it is because we both want it to fail, so don't worry. As long as we share common goals, we'll pull through."

Hiruma stared at Mamori's hand that continued to grip his. His fingers tangled themselves with hers to return that warm grasp. "You sure know how to speak pretty words, Anezaki. But you heard what he said. Between all of us, this will be the hardest for you. Trust me when I say that that woman fully intends to crush you, especially since she will know our motives. So listen to me, Anezaki..."

He slowly pulled her closer to him, his eyes staring directly into hers. "If this marriage is a contract, and we are merely conducting business in order to save this family, you are on the losing streak. You should be gaining the most rewards here, not us. Even if you think it's all right, what with you and your damn self-sacrificing ways, I will not accept it. So I would like to give you something in return."

Mamori cocked her head slightly. "I... don't understand."

Hiruma sighed in annoyance. "What do you really want, Anezaki? Especially from me, as a... _thank you_... for all the shit I'm putting you through."

He seemed so out of character that Mamori wanted to laugh at the strange sight before her, but only a smile escaped from the corner from her lips. "That's really sweet of you, but I really don't need anything right now."

He rolled his eyes. "Damn it, Anezaki. Fine. You get three wishes."

Mamori's eyes widened and swallowed the exclamation she was about to make. "Eh? A-are you sure? Three? One is enough!"

"Fucking Manager," Hiruma growled impatiently. "I will give you three, don't try to bargain here. You can tell me what you want when you've finally figured it out. Learn to be selfish, and trust me when I say that you deserve every bit of it for everything that you're about to go through."

Mamori wanted to protest some more, but Sugiyo quietly slid the door open. " Kaede is dressed and ready to see you both."

~*~

Sitting before Kaede proved to be more tense than it had been with Yuuya. Kaede merely stared at the both of them with a serious expression, though sometimes she looked amused. Kaede was the only one drinking her tea and made it a point to savour the flavour and the moment as both Hiruma and Mamori began to feel exhausted, both wanting nothing more than for this day to end.

When Kaede finally spoke, her words sliced through the air. "This truly has to be the most absurd wedding arrangement I have ever heard of."

Mamori pressed her lips as Hiruma made an impatient sound. Sugiyo spoke in their stead. "Come now, Kaede. As I have told you, they have been together for quite some time, and are merely hastening their wedding due to the current circumstances."

"I must say it never occurred to me that the Hiruma family would even consider having another woman in their lives. I must warn you then young lady, to look out for your life once you do join them. I do worry they have a certain... reputation... with women." Kaede's laugh was painful to hear. "But really, letting this 'outsider' join the Sato family and help Yuuya?" Kaede continued to laugh as she shook her head, placing the cup of tea close to her lips. "Hmph, you must be joking."

The words came out before Mamori could stop them. "Is there... something wrong?"

Kaede grinned. "Plenty. First of all, you are a complete disgrace to even be considered as part of such a pure Japanese family line like the Sato family. What's with those blue eyes? Is that even your original hair colour? You don't look fully Japanese."

"And you think I am?" Hiruma snarled.

"I will get to you later," Kaede glared at Hiruma for a moment before returning to give Mamori a belittling look. "You burst into this place, looking dishevelled and a mess, sweaty and dirty, and you expect me to accept you into this family? Tell me, which planet do you come from? Has your mother taught you nothing in basic courtesy or do you have her horrible mannerism?"

Mamori's jaw dropped. Her mind was screaming all the words she wanted to throw at this woman for the atrocities she had said, but they refused to come out. Rather, they seem to be reflected in her eyes as Hiruma quickly grabbed her hand once more, forcing her to look at him as he whispered, "Calm down."

Mamori bit her lip, holding back the outpour of angry emotions welling inside of her. She nodded at him.

He faced Kaede. "Oi, Fucking Old Woman, you seem to be having a lot of fun insulting us. What game are you playing here?"

Kaede looked rather entertained by the short display before her. "I am merely pointing out the truth. I suppose this is why I find it so amusing. But I suppose that yes, you're both perfect for each other. This so-called Japanese woman with no manners is very fitting for the pariah-like Hiruma family. It's perfectly hilarious!"

Both of them were losing patience at this point. Sugiyo spoke to them hastily. "I do not suggest lengthening this any further, you are both no longer in a good condition to handle her or this situation."

They both agreed, but Hiruma wasn't done yet. "Laugh at us all you want, Kaede," he sneered. "You know exactly what it is that we want. And you should know we will not back down until we get it."

"If that's what you're betting this marriage on then," Kaede took another sip of her tea and carefully placed the cup down. When she looked at Mamori, her smile seemed to stretch across her face in a manner that reminded Mamori of what true demons looked like. "I will be quite prepared to welcome you, soon to be Mrs Hiruma Youichi."

Much calmer now, and with her head held high, Mamori nodded.

~*~

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

Mamori sighed as she laid her futon down on the floor in the room Sugiyo had provided. "I really am. You can go to your room now."

"Not until I know you're fine," he replied as he took a step inside the room.

"Hiruma-kun, please!"

"Are you sure you want to still call me that now?"

Mamori bit her lip. As they looked at each other, she knew that despite the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions they were having, their eyes were reflecting off each other the same emotion.

Fear.

"After speaking to those two, I realise I don't know what we're doing anymore," Mamori whispered. "What _I'm_ doing."

She was sure he felt the same way, he opened his mouth to say something but the words never came. Instead, something else crossed his mind, making him reach out to hold her hand once more. "Have we ever held hands this much before?"

Mamori looked at their linked hands. "No, I don't believe we were ever this affectionate to each other."

"Why did we do it so much today then?"

"Because..." Mamori began, but realising the true weight and significance of this gesture made the words she wanted to say too simple. Because they needed to support each other? But they were already doing that from long before. Because they needed to remind the other they were not alone? They've told each other that many times the moment they agreed on the marriage.

Hiruma caught on to her worried thoughts. "Even though we've both been supporting each other in Football, knowing we're never alone both on and off the field and assuring each other on that, we communicated in gestures and unspoken words. This entire situation, us getting married, is going to change that. So just like you, I have no fucking clue what I'm doing and we both might end up completely trashed by the end of it."

He finally let go of her hand and made his way to the door. She watched him as her mind tried to find the right words that would hopefully ease them both. "Maybe for now... that doesn't matter? Maybe we'll both figure all of this out in time?"

Hiruma stopped to glance back at her.

"I mean," Mamori crossed her arms, looking away. "Maybe all this worrying about holding hands is ridiculous, and soon something like that will be seen as small and insignificant. Who knows... maybe we would view this marriage the same way in light of more important things. Whatever it is, let's just take everything as it goes one step at a time, while holding on to the most important reminder... that we are doing this together. And we are not alone. And if it takes holding hands or other silly affections to remind us of that, then we will do it as many times as it takes if it means we will both reach our goal."

Hiruma looked satisfied with her words. He gave her one last grin for the day. "Well, then. Good night, Mamori."

Mamori smiled in response. "Good night, Youichi."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for the amazing support! I've finally gotten settled in my new job and new life, though it took about a month or so. But once I had that in better control, despite my really hectic schedule, the moment I felt inspired and had a bit of free time, I found myself working on this. So yay! I'm still keen to see this fic to the end.
> 
> Someone mentioned in the last chapter that it was confusing to have two Hirumas. I realise I should have changed it earlier, but I wanted to portray that Mamori had always seen Hiruma Youichi as just Hiruma, thus my narrative. But now she has no choice but to refer to him as Youichi towards the end of that chapter, thus the narrative will now call him Youichi, as this is mostly written in Mamori's perspective. I hope this makes sense!
> 
> And I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I know many of you have been waiting for it since it's been revealed, but let me just say it may not be what you expect.

With a short screech made by the burning rubber under his soles against the hot pavement, Sena let out a cry as he almost dropped the package he was holding. Thankfully, most of his clumsiness had been cured throughout the years and as he checked the contents of the package, he let out a sigh of relief. Turning to the house he'd made the hasty stop in front of, due to the fact that he had not been here in a while, he couldn't help but smile a little in nostalgia the quaint yet spacious house evoked.

It really had been a while.

He rang the doorbell once and almost instantly a familiar voice could be heard from the communicator located at the front of the house. "Yes? Oh, Sena!"

Sena smiled at the small camera located just above the communicator. "Hello, Anezaki-kaa-san."

But she had already turned off the communicator and was already opening the front door. Practically bursting through the door was Anezaki Mami, a woman Sena had been familiar with since he was a child. "Sena! Oh my, little Sena, you've grown up so much!" she cried as she gave him a big smile, wrinkles lightly visible at the corner of her eyes, brown hair tied up in a bun, bearing a striking resemblance to her daughter.

Sena gave a nervous smile. She always greeted him like that ever since his return from Notre Dame in America. "I'm sorry for disturbing you at this hour, Anezaki-kaa-san."

Mami shook her head as she approached the gate and proceeded to unlatch it. "Don't worry about that, Sena! We're practically family after all! Come inside, how is your mother doing?"

"Ah, I can't stay long, I have to get going for more practice later with the Enma Fires," replied Sena. He lifted the package and passed it to Mami. "My mother's fine, she made some chiffon cake and decided to give one to you too. That's why I'm here."

"Oh, how lovely!" Mami took the package from him graciously. "I taught her how to bake this you know? She always bakes an extra one for me as a thank you!"

Sena laughed nervously. "Yes... I'm quite aware of that... seeing as she's been doing that since I was born."

"Why don't you come in for a while and have some tea together with the chiffon cake? It would only take a moment."

"Ah, I really can't, Anezaki-kaa-san. We barely have over a week left of the summer holidays and once the term starts, it's going to be a long fight towards the Rice Bowl so we need to train as much as we can before that."

"Oh, that's right! Mamori said the same thing too earlier this week." Mami's cheerful face slowly turned nervous. "She was quite worried when she told me about it too, cause it seems that her team is unable to train properly because their quarterback is missing."

Sena's eyebrows shot up. "Quarterback...? Are you saying Hiruma is missing?"

"Hmm..." Mami nodded. "Oh! But Mamori went to look for him, and according to the text message I received the night before, she's found him! She still needs to help him settle a few issues there, but the two of them will be back soon enough."

Sena bit back the urge to ask more questions. Something about this just didn't seem right, but he was sure that Mami would not be able to provide much answers because he could tell something else was bothering her. "Is something wrong, Anezaki-kaa-san?"

Mami had been looking down at the package in her hands but her head shot up at Sena's question. She smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm fine, dear. You know how much I trust Mamori, and I know that she's making the right decision. But..."

She seemed to look beyond Sena, into an unknown distance. "Call it a mother's instinct, but I can't help but feel that she needs me right now."

~*~

Despite her best efforts to stay as calm as possible, Mamori found herself taking deep breaths, and holding them in as long as possible before slowly letting the air pass through her lips, her body swayed lightly with every breath, her arms stretched out, wide open.

Two old ladies, residents of Igaho, surrounded her. One before her, one behind her. Already wearing the white, heavy kimono, they were now wrapping another layer of kimono around her waist. She held her breath in once more as they worked together to get it wrapped around her properly, and at it was at this point that the old lady before her chuckled softly.

"You don't have to breathe in so much, relax! Relax!"

"A-ah..." Mamori replied, slowly breathing through her pursed lips. They weren't being rough with her, which she was grateful for, but her nerves continued to feel shaken.

She wasn't sure why she was feeling this way.

Her head felt heavy with the wig and the headdress on, intricate designs hidden within. She wondered if she looked ridiculous. The women were done with that last inner layer and began to tie her obi.

"This is Mayada's old kimono isn't it? It fits you so well," said the old lady behind her.

"Anezaki-san had to do some mending though," said the old lady before her. "And you did such a wonderful job too, and so quickly! Your soon-to-be-husband is so lucky to have someone as talented as you."

Mamori held back a laugh. For some reason, she thought that he had always had her talents to his disposal anyways.

She wondered how he was faring with the preparations.

They had barely seen each other since preparations began yesterday. Mamori was just as clueless as he was on how a traditional Shinto wedding was performed. While she had heard many stories about it, she had never truly witnessed it. And yet here she was, playing the lead role with little to no clue as to what she was doing.

"Stop worrying about it," Sugiyo had told her. "Normally we would have the both of you signing your marriage papers first, but Kaede insists that you two hold the ceremony first. A Sato family tradition or so she claims. Best to let her have her way if you ever want to retrieve Kirie's ashes. In the meantime, the people of Igaho are ecstatic, they haven't had a traditional wedding in years. They will gladly guide you along the way."

"Is the obi too tight?"

Mamori had sucked in her breath again, and she quickly let it out as the old lady before her gave her a worried glance. "No!" Mamori shook her head. "Not at all, I'm fine. See?"

"Leave her alone, Mayumi," the old lady behind her laughed. "Pre-wedding jitters."

The two ladies smiled as they began to tie the obi intricately. Unsure what to do, Mamori continued to keep her arms open and stare off into the wooden walls of the small room she was in. Her wandering mind now settled on the Sato family. She had heard from Sugiyo late last night that a few members of the Sato family would be here to witness the wedding.

"Does Youichi know?" she had asked her.

Sugiyo grinned. "Oh yes. Youichi knows."

She didn't think much about Sugiyo's grin at the time, but recalling it now made Mamori cringe in embarrassment. She should be extra careful when mentioning his name from now on.

The last kimono robe was placed over her arms, the weight settling in. With a few more adjustments, both ladies now stood before her, admiring their handiwork.

"I was worried Mayada's kimono may have looked out of fashion but..."

"It does look good, doesn't it?"

"I don't mind if it's old," said Mamori, smiling kindly to the women. "I'm just glad that there's someone out there who was willing to lend this to me, seeing as we don't have the time or money to buy one."

"Nonsense!" cried the lady named Mayumi. "Don't you worry about a thing, dear. We'll take good care of you. We'll even guide you during the ritual."

"Oh, it isn't necessary, I have it memorised," said Mamori, though her mind drew a blank on how the ceremony was supposed to go, even though she did try hard to memorise it the night before.

"Now there's still the issue of your makeup..."

"I'll handle it."

Mamori and the other two women looked to the door to find a portly, yet kindly looking woman standing there. "I'm here upon the request of Sato Kaede," she said, her smile widening at the sight of Mamori. "You must be the soon to be latest addition to the Sato family! It is a pleasure to meet you, my name is Taneda Saori, also a branch of the Sato family."

Mamori's eyes widened, her mind becoming even more blank. _They're here!_ "I-it's a pleasure to meet you!" Mamori tried to bow, but felt as if her headdress was about to fall.

"Oh, you silly girl, now's not the time for that!" Saori laughed. "It's your day today, I should be bowing to you!" Saori approached Mamori, gesturing towards a nearby chair. "Come, sit down. We have no time to waste getting you ready."

Mamori nodded, and with a little help, got herself seated on the small chair. Saori had brought her own makeup kit. "Please close your eyes," she instructed, her voice calming.

Mamori nodded. And soon she felt a brush sweeping over her face. They were silent for a while, Mamori keeping her eyes closed throughout the entire process. Saori's fingers were gentle and careful, and slowly the fear she had felt earlier slowly disappeared.

She felt exhausted.

"You must have gone through a lot these past few days," said Saori. Mamori slowly opened her eyes as Saori reached out for another brush. "Close your eyes please."

Mamori nodded and did as she was told. Saori was working on her eyes now. "Kaede didn't tell me everything that happened, but the whole Sato family is aware of the reason why you're getting married. I would like to warn you that the Sato family isn't the kind of family you can fool around with and get what you want. We are strict, we have high expectations, we expect only the best."

Saori blew gently over Mamori's eyes. "You can open them now." She reached out for another brush as Mamori stared at the kindly woman before her. She was still smiling as she placed a thumb over Mamori's chin, gently pulling Mamori's face closer. She began to apply lipstick with gentle strokes. "I want to apologise beforehand if Kaede judges you and your mother for being... well... not so Japanese. In all honesty, it is not a matter that concerns us. But things haven't been going too well at the Sato family, and with Kaede especially. So I hope that if you do join us, Mamori, that you would at least do so with much respect to the Sato family... and to Kaede as well."

Mamori stared at Saori for a moment, questions forming. But now wasn't the time. "I promise, I have no ill-intention to the Sato family. I will do what is proper to retrieve what rightfully belongs to the Hiruma family. So... please look after me."

Saori rubbed Mamori's cheeks in approval. "Then you will do just fine. I'm sure you will. Now, would you like to take a good look at yourself?"

Saori got up as she headed to the door. "Fuyumi! Where are you? I need a mirror in here!"

Mamori rose slowly, the weight of everything on her slowly sinking in. She took another deep breath, but determination slowly filled her. There was something going on even within Sato family, and now she was keen to find out what it was.

A younger woman rushed in, holding a long mirror about her size. Mamori had a full view of herself now, and she couldn't help but stare in awe.

"Oh..." she breathed, as she looked down at her kimono, the little details on the outer robe, the makeup accentuating her features against the white paint over her skin. Who... is that?

Sugiyo's voice broke through her thoughts. "Seeing as you're ready, we better get going." Sugiyo approached her. "We need to walk to the temple. The men are waiting outside."

"Okay," Mamori nodded. Sugiyo had something in her hand, and as she reached out, Mamori felt something being placed on her head. It was her veil. At this, Sugiyo gave a sympathetic smile. "I know you would rather someone else do this."

Mamori caught her breath, her eyes stinging a little. No, now wasn't the time to think about that. She gave a pained smile. "It's all right."

Sugiyo held on to Mamori's hand and guided her outside the room where many of the other older women of Igaho stood waiting around the hallways. Gasps could be heard everywhere, and everyone seemed to say aloud, "How beautiful!" the moment Mamori walked past them.

As they proceeded to walk out of the building used for temple preparations, Sugiyo quietly spoke to her, "A Japanese bride wears white not only to become the symbol of purity, it is also to symbolise mourning. She is leaving her family to join a new one."

Mamori looked at her, mouth agape with surprise. Sugiyo grinned. "But I don't think you and Youichi would agree to such thinking. It's still an interesting thought, isn't it?"

Slowly calming down, Mamori nodded. "I guess traditional weddings really can be interesting."

"Oh, you're just starting, my dear." They had now reached the outer courts where the men stood waiting. The temple a yonder distance, the weather was clear and cool thanks to being on a hill. Mamori scanned the group of men, finding the priest who was talking to Hiruma Yuuya. And next to him was...

Youichi?

That must be him, though he had on the most uncomfortable expression she had ever seen him wear. Wearing the black and grey hakama...

His hair now dyed black. It looked like there had been an attempt to calm that spiky hair of his, but to no avail. He was also missing his usual pierced adornments, they had been such a part of him he now looked strangely bare.

Mamori resisted the urge to laugh. He seemed to have sensed her amusement as he was looking straight at her now. And somehow, that was enough to bring them both back to their usual selves.

He was grinning. She felt sure he had something witty to say about the way she looked, but she was glad that they were both putting in some effort to respect this tradition as much as they could, even though a part of them felt as if this entire thing was ridiculous.

Yuuya had seen her now, and excusing himself from the priest, he approached her. He gave her a quick bow. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," she replied.

He held her other free hand for a moment and drew her close with what she thought was a kiss on the cheek. But he instead whispered into her ear, "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Mamori could see Youichi in the distance. She pulled away from Yuuya and smiled. "It's all right. I'm not alone after all."

The priest had taken his position and two mikos stood nearby. Sugiyo led her towards Youichi, and with a gentle nod, moved to take her place among the crowd forming behind them. She could see Saori waving excitedly somewhere within the crowd, Kaede next to her, dressed as regally as Mamori had expected she would. She seemed a little disinterested in the proceedings, but other than that Mamori was glad she didn't look annoyed or angry. The other women and men in Igaho also joined in the crowd. It wasn't much, but Mamori was content that there were people who wanted to celebrate with her.

She was sure the wedding would go smoothly.

As they both looked forward, Hiruma softly cackled. "And the bitch said you don't look Japanese."

"Don't say that! She's around after all!" But Mamori couldn't help the genuine smile forming on her lips. "But really, you should try looking Japanese more often yourself. It suits you."

"Considering the amount of hell I went through, it's obviously not my style, Fucking Manager."

The nickname calmed her down considerably, something she didn't expect. And with what felt like the last time where they were just Quarterback and Manager, focusing only on their desires to win, the procession began and they all began to walk towards the temple.

The sounds of the traditional flute and drums could be heard, accompanying them down the pathways towards the temple. There was not a cloud in sight, the air felt still and the kimono she wore made her feel hot despite the cool air. There was barely anything to look at, just the gray pavement, the green trees and the wooden gates surrounding them.

Despite the many people surrounding her, Mamori felt a sort of emptiness inside her.

Youichi moved closer to her, brushing her fingers with his, slowly tangling them. Mamori glanced at him, and though his face remained calm, she could feel a form of tension within his hands. She squeezed back.

_It's going to be okay. We'll get through this._

They slowly let each other go and proceeded to follow the priest before them.

When they finally reached the temple, only a select few entered. Yuuya and Sugiyo took their place at Hiruma's side of the temple, while to Mamori's surprise, Saori, Kaede and a few other women who Mamori suspected was the rest of the Sato family, had taken her side. She wondered if there was some significance towards this.

She decided she didn't want to worry about it now. The wedding ceremony began, and her mind was still drawing a blank.

It wasn't until the mikos completed the cleansing ritual did her memory slowly return, and she knew what was coming up next once the priest was done reciting the words.

Drinking sake. Mamori could handle her alcohol, she supposed, and it was a small amount. But it was still quite fascinating to her that it took drinking sake to seal their marriage.

What was it that one of the old ladies told her about this moment? Ah yes, that there will be hardships in a marriage that need to be overcome, and the spirits will guide them through this ritual.

Youichi seemed calm as the miko poured the sake into his small red cup, then he gulped it down three times. When it was Mamori's turn, the drink was incredibly strong that it seemed to sear her throat, but she finished it as she was told.

They had to repeat this a number of times until Mamori's throat was burning. Though for some reason, it made her remember all the times she screamed and cheered for her respective teams, the Devil Bats and the Saikyoudai Wizards.

She glanced at Youichi, and despite this being a happy moment, they were both aware that they were coming into this marriage filled with many things to worry about. He gave her a determined look.

Mamori took a quick, deep breath once more. That's right.

Mamori thought she had reached the end of the ceremony, her mind scrambled to remember what needed to be done at this point. Then Yuuya approached them both, holding a small box in his palm. He opened it to reveal two silver rings within.

"I insisted I buy these for you both," Yuuya explained as she looked at him and Youichi curiously. "As my present to the two of you and a symbol of my support."

Mamori nodded in understanding. Youichi picked up the ring for Mamori first. She wondered if he had helped pick the rings as the size looked right for her. He seemed to hesitate as he lifted her left hand towards him. She looked up to see him give a pensive look.

He had noticed her looking at him, and with a quick breath, he whispered, "We're going to get through this fucking mess. Together."

He slid the ring onto her finger. Mamori stared at it for a moment, before reaching out for his ring and lifting his left hand. She looked at him and whispered, "Together."

Sliding the ring onto his finger, the ceremony was completed. Mamori turned towards the entrance of the temple with Hiruma beside her as the traditional sounds of flutes and drums escalated, and in the corner of her eye she could see Saori, who looked rather excited, and Kaede, looking rather smug.

This was only the first obstacle. There were more to come.

Just outside the temple, the people of Igaho were already beginning their celebrations with alcohol and music. Sugiyo had to calm some of them down, demanding for the marriage papers to be brought. A few witnesses, music still swelling in the background, signatures and stamps. That was all it took for Youichi and Mamori to be officially married.

It still felt too surreal to be true.

While the celebrations continued in the Kitae Ryokan, Mamori's exhaustion finally came over her. She requested Sugiyo to help her get out of her ceremonial robes as she needed to lie down. The undressing process took a while, and with the help of all the other old ladies, who were sad that Mamori couldn't join the celebrations but understood, she was finally dressed in her own pajamas.

She knew Hiruma would be in the room. Their room.

There was no way they could escape sleeping in the same room. Not on the day of their supposed wedding. But Mamori was too tired to care, and she knew they would both be too exhausted for anymore shenanigans.

He had laid out the giant futon that was available, but was careful to put the pillows at a distance. "You don't have to worry about that," she said as she entered the room, pointing at the pillows.

"What, you don't think I may try to fuck you? You're a woman and I'm a man after all," Youichi joked, finally glad to be himself again though his hair was still black. "I could be a snorer, you know. Maybe you're one too. Maybe I'd kick you off the damn futon, though you're more likely to do that to me."

Mamori finally laughed. She needed that. "Stop it, I'm sure we'll both be fine. Though it says something that we're both the youngest here and we're both going to bed so early."

"Fuck that, I haven't slept for close to 36 hours."

"Neither have I."

They both lay down on the futon, the sound of celebrations still echoing down the hallways. "I didn't think I'd ever see you with black hair," said Mamori, turning to face him.

Youichi lay on his side too, looking at Mamori. "Well take a good look cause by morning, it's back to being blonde for me."

Mamori giggled. "I do miss your blonde looks though."

"Good. You ain't getting anymore of this traditional manly Hiruma Youichi shit anymore. And I thought I knew hell seeing as I put the team through it," Youichi cackled, though he looked serious. "Speaking of which, we really need to get back to Saikyoudai and kick the team back into shape."

She nodded. "I can't wait to go back. Everyone must be so worried about us. I don't know what to tell them about why we took so long here."

"How about telling them the truth?" Youichi grinned. "You actually eloped and got yourself hitched."

"It's sad when you realise that it is the truth."

"Yeah... it is sad." Despite all his teasing, Youichi remained serious. He was quiet for a moment, which made Mamori curious. Then he said, "... You didn't deserve this."

Mamori frowned. "Stop that, we agreed that we were in this together."

"But you definitely deserve something better than this fucking mess."

Mamori was about to protest, but it hit her that this was what had Youichi worried the entire day. She couldn't stop the sadness from building within her upon realising this. She buried her head deeper into the pillow, breathing slowly. "I don't mind... I realise that I may really be able to help what's going on with the Sato family. We'll finally be meeting them tomorrow and finally get this going. So if this marriage is what it takes to help solve this, then it really doesn't bother me. Besides... I know we're in this together. But..."

She smiled at him assuringly, but he only gave her a look of concern. "Can I be honest with you?" she asked.

"If you can't be honest with me, I'd have to fucking shoot myself."

She laughed, though her sadness was filling every inch of her. "Don't say that. I don't mind... getting married. I'm really alright, because I know you, I trust you. But..."

Hot tears were spilling out of her eyes. Had they always been there? "I just... I just wish I could have been with my family. I wish my mother was with me, telling me what to do, telling me that I was doing fine. I felt so lost without her today. All the ladies here were really nice, but I seriously needed a familiar face, and all I could think about was my mother."

Mamori began to sob. Youichi shifted his body closer, then reached out and pulled her closer to him in a sort of embrace. "I'm sorry," she cried, clenching on to his shirt. "I must sound so silly... wanting my mother. I'm an adult now, I don't need her."

"Stop that," he replied. "Of course you need your mother. I told you, you didn't deserve this. You deserve a much better wedding, with a much better man, with all the people you care about. Not having fucking vultures like the Sato family or even strangers who don't know you well enough."

Mamori continued to sob into his chest, her hand clamped over her mouth in an attempt to control herself. "You'll get a better wedding ceremony someday, Fucking Manager," he told her. "Until then, we both have to keep fighting. So if anything, this wedding shows that we will support each other until we finally get what we want. And do you know what that is?"

"... Kirie's ashes?" replied Mamori, her sobs softening as she pulled away from him just a little to look at him.

Youichi looked at her, his grin returned. "No. Victory. We're not going to stop until we kill them all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Japanese weddings are actually pretty short, and there's still a lot about it I may not know but I hope that my writing portrays it well enough. Feel free to let me know if you find anything weird or need clarification, and I'll explain as best as I can.
> 
> I apologise for any OOC moments, espcially with Hiruma. He has always been a challenge for me to write.
> 
> And now that they're officially married, the game is about to begin. Do be patient with me once more as I will be participating in NaNoWriMo with an original story of mine. Hopefully I'll be able to write a chapter during the hecticness of next month! Thank you once again for the amazing support you have all shown me!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *peeks in* Erm... yeah... I am sorry for taking forever to have this chapter ready. And yes, I have a million and one excuses for it. But who cares! This chapter is finally here! *cheers* You have no idea how long I wanted to work on this fic and I'm just so so happy to finally have this up and ready! There's so much more to look forward to but for now, do bear with my slow progress and work and real life issues continue to plague me. For now, please enjoy this!
> 
> Big thank you to my darling Elis once more for her help! And a big thank you to everyone for the amazing support, reviews and comments for this fic of mine!

The last week of term break for the year had finally arrived, and the air within the Saikyoudai sports field was filled with a form of tension that Mamori was all too familiar with. To a background chorus filled with the grunts and cries of the struggling Wizards players as they played against each other on the main field, Mamori handled the backup players on the track and field.

The Saikyoudai Wizards currently had close to a thousand players thanks to the many star players’ influences in the team. Yamato was a big attraction when he joined Saikyoudai, having played in America and as a former player of Teikoku. Ikkyuu also had his brand of influence having been part of the famed Shinryuuji Naga, and his own catching skills were definitely something to talk about, much to his own embarrassment at times. But the biggest reason why the Wizards had more than enough players was because of Hiruma Youichi. Not because he forced so many of them to join, but because everyone remembered and were fascinated by the legendary Devil Bats.

With the influx of player's though, Mamori's work was beyond manageable at times. They not only needed to select the main team members, but the backup as well, while others would have to be content with watching at the side-lines and possibly be disappointed for it was the last year for some of the star players and they may never get the chance to play an actual match with them.

It was a tough task, but it had to be done if the Saikyoudai Wizards wanted to win. And Mamori was as determined as ever to ensure the victory of the Wizards this year.

Especially now that things have gotten more complicated.

Mamori placed the whistle between her lips and blew, the sharp sound drawing attention from those waiting 100 metres away at the track and field. "Next, number 285!" Mamori cried.

"All right!" the player cried, readying his stance to run.

"How was his last run during the week that I was away, Hashimoto-kun?" asked Mamori to a tall, skinny boy that was one year her junior. Hashimoto Atsushi had been standing behind her throughout her time at the track and field, and during her absence had replaced her as manager. He had always been eager to be of some form of help for the team, which reminded Mamori greatly of Sena, so she thought it was fine to take him under her wing.

But he was still too nervous to fully replace her, something she wished she could help him work on, but her hands were full as they were.

"Erm..." He flipped through the papers on his own clipboard, trembling a little. "Okay. Tadayoshi, 285, his last 100 metre run was 3 days ago at 5.2 seconds."

Mamori clucked her tongue. "Too slow..." she whispered. She brought the whistle close to her lips once more, stopwatch on the ready with her other hand... "On your mark! Get set!"

The sharp sound had Tadayoshi running towards her as fast as he could. The moment he ran past Mamori, she stopped the stopwatch and checked the time.

5.0 seconds.

Tadayoshi looked at Mamori expectantly, but she couldn't hide the disappointment on her face. "You've done your best..." she began to say, but Tadayoshi merely shrugged at her, not wanting to hear the rest, and headed towards the locker rooms.

Sighing, Mamori passed the stopwatch to Hashimoto. "I'm sorry, Hashimoto-kun, but could you handle the rest? I need to study the main team's play for a bit. We'll be getting our schedule for the Rice Bowl in a couple of minutes for sure and..."

"You'll need to discuss with the Captain." Hashimoto saluted Mamori comically, stopwatch still in hand. "Roger that, Anezaki-senpai! I'm on it!" He pulled out his own whistle and blew on it loudly. "Next, 382!" Hashimoto called out, looking at the rest of the players.

Certain that Hashimoto could handle this much, especially after receiving his orders, Mamori walked away from Track and Field and headed towards the familiar bench by the main field where her own clipboard filled with data lay waiting for her. She picked it up and went through her notes, glancing through the numbers and formations she and Youichi had worked on before coming here. It felt like a rushed job, but as she observed the main team for a moment, she suspected Youichi had been planning this the entire time he was stuck in the Kitae Ryokan.

She cringed as memories of their last moments in Igaho filled her.

_Mamori and Youichi were called for a meeting with the Sato family before they all went their separate ways. They both knew that rushing to the Sato residence would be ridiculous at this point. The Sato family would surely not allow them to even set foot on their land that easily. And with the last week of term break and the upcoming Rice Bowl games to prepare for, they knew they had to return to Tokyo and deal with the team first._

_The meeting with the Sato family was as cold as Mamori had expected it to be._

_"Congratulations on the rather simple but adequate wedding," said Sato Kaede with a little chuckle. Taneda Saori and some other women sat behind her, their heads mostly bowed, though their eyes remained upon Mamori. "We, the Sato family, welcome you, Hiruma Mamori with as much acceptance as we can offer."_

_Mamori resisted the urge to frown, not wanting to let Kaede's words get to her when this was just the first step._

_"While you are more than welcome to come to our residence in Akita, we understand that you and your husband have matters back in Tokyo that need to be settled," Kaede continued, grinning despite her cold stare. "It is probably just as well, as I'm afraid our residence isn't prepared for your presence yet. And as such, we will return to Akita for our own preparations. And when we are ready to welcome you, we will come and pick you up from your residence... with your husband, I am sure."_

_Without moving their heads, Mamori and Youichi shared a quick glance._

Taka had just intercepted a pass from the Wizard team currently playing offense, most of which Mamori was sure would be chosen as backup. Barely taking another step, Taka made a short pass to Akaba which none of the opposing team members were blocking, a mistake the recovering offense team had made simply because the main team had Yamato run throughout most of the games and in typical Hiruma Youichi style, he had switched it up and got Akaba to run instead.

Mamori watched as Banba, who had gotten even quicker now, rushed up to one player who had recovered and was trying to tackle Akaba. There was no saving that player as he was flattened by Banba, and Akaba took this opportunity to keep running.

More players were on their way to stop Akaba, and he was only on the 30 yard line towards the goal. He was bound to be tackled at this point, but Mamori merely looked down at the data on her clipboard.

_"We're going to have to live together soon."_

_Mamori had been quiet during the trip back to Tokyo, as she realised they needed to play up the act of husband and wife even more when Sato Kaede came over, something Mamori wasn't sure she could do. Driving the tower car, the tower removed and replaced with a canvas roof, Youichi spoke with his eyes set on the road._

_"Seeing as we don't know when they'll be coming over, you'll have to be over my place more often. We're going to need to rework my place too. That shithole definitely isn't an ideal place for the two of us to sleep in, let alone have those fucking Sato bitches over."_

_Mamori resisted the urge to laugh as she recalled the state of Youichi's apartment. Having been there a number of times herself, the place had a tendency of being incredibly messy despite Mamori's attempts to clean it up. Youichi's mind worked in a way where the clutter helped him think better, so Mamori often left it as it is._

_"I suppose you'll be needing my services then," said Mamori, who may have resisted the urge to laugh, but couldn't stop herself from grinning in amusement. "It's going to be a full cleanup this time, and you're going to let me do as I please, right?"_

_"Kekeke, you're my wife now, I believe a husband's role is to just accept that my wife has full power over the house."_

_"Don't say that! We may be married but that doesn't mean I should be a controlling, nagging wife."_

_"You've always been controlling and nagging even before you became my wife," Youichi cackled some more._

_"Hmph. And you're still as incorrigible as ever even before you became my husband." Mamori folded her arms, eyes also on the road. The solemn feeling she had felt earlier was slowly melting away now, as she found herself enjoying Youichi's company. Hope filled her._

_This could work out after all._

_"We're going to need another futon in your apartment," Mamori spoke up, her mind already planning on what to do. "I can bring the extra one from my place though I will need your help to bring it there. I think I'll buy an extra toothbrush, which would work better than for me to bring mine from home and possibly worry my parents. I'll come over this weekend to clean up your apartment, let's hope the Sato family don't visit us anytime soon."_

_"Highly doubt it, they know we'll be busy this week. We should worry about them coming next week once the term starts."_

_Mamori nodded. "Okay... until then..." She raised her left hand to look at the ring, drowning in the familiar rush of emotion that still felt alien to her. "I suppose we should keep this around as close as possible... just in case."_

_Hiruma tore his eyes away from the road for a moment to look at Mamori, then glance at his own ring which he hadn't removed himself. "You can take it off now if you want to."_

_Putting her hand back on her lap, Mamori shook her head. "No._

_I'd like to wear it a little longer."_

Without raising her head, Mamori knew who was going to take the ball from Akaba as he fell to the ground. The rejected players watched by the side-lines and gave a collective gasp and cheer.

"HIRUMAAAAAA!!"

Youichi had intercepted the ball during the fumble, having sneaked up behind one of the other players without him noticing, his own long arms reaching forward. A similar trick to Hashibara Rui and his own long arms. The little trick had all the other players confused, thinking for a moment that a member of their team had gotten the ball. But Youichi was already within the 20 yard line by the time they noticed and as one player made a last ditch attempt to stop him, Juumonji took the hit and blocked for him, tackling the final player to the ground.

Youichi was home free.

"TOUCHDOOOOOWN!!" the spectators screamed. Mamori felt her phone vibrate in her pocket at that moment. She quickly pulled out her phone, realised it was an email and upon seeing the sender and subject, knew what it was all about.

She grabbed her whistle and blew it twice, holding on to the second note a little longer. All eyes from the field were on her.

"The schedule for the Rice Bowl is here!" she cried out, her left hand, free of her wedding ring, waving at them.

Hiruma grinned, and with his own gloves already stuffed away at the side of his pants, he grabbed a gun with his left hand, also free of any ring, to shoot into the sky. "YA-HA! It's show time, Wizards!

We're going to decide who's in the main team!"  
Mamori bit her lip nervously as everyone cheered, she still needed a little more data from Hashimoto, and she felt sure Youichi had already made up his mind on who was on the team.

Even so, as everyone headed towards the locker room, Youichi stopped before Mamori, taking off his helmet to reveal his blonde hair which had returned as promised the very next day after their wedding. "I need the data for the other players."

"It looks like you've made up your mind though."

"I have," he grinned. "But I need to crosscheck with you. While the others are changing and taking a shower, I need to go through the Rice Bowl schedule with you, and there's still the issue of the team's Runningback."

Mamori frowned, remembering the major issue that was bound to come up once they announced who they decided was going to be Runningback. "Is he even around today? I didn’t see him at all at today’s practice."

“Oh, he’s around all right…” Youichi cackled. “And you can expect some form of chaos I suppose, but I get the feeling that fucker is up to something.

Mamori sighed as she looked down the data she had available of all the players. “When is he not up to something?”

Youichi fell silent for a moment, hovering over her with a seriousness that she was accustomed to. "Hey Mamori..."

"Yes?" she replied absently. But she realised instantly what he had done and clasped a hand over her mouth. She looked around; grateful none of the players noticed anything suspicious between them. "Don't call me that here!" she whispered through clenched teeth, her eyes glaring at him.

Youichi merely cackled, waving as he walked away from her. "Make sure Fucking Skinny Boy joins in on the party, Anezaki!"

"Ah, got it!" cried Mamori. Rushing through the crowd to look for Hashimoto, who was scribbling furiously on his clipboard, she felt a rush of embarrassment and amusement fill her. Keeping their wedding from everyone else may be a lot harder than Mamori anticipated, especially if Youichi was set on teasing her when he could, but she felt determined all the same.

With everything set in place, there was one last thing to do before they let all the players of Saikyoudai go.

It was time to announce who made it to the team.

 

 

 

The Saikyoudai Wizards clubhouse was as large as an auditorium. Actually, it was an unused auditorium until Youichi decided he liked it better than the puny clubhouse the University had initially provided. This made a better clubhouse for them, especially with the ever expanding list of members.

The clubhouse was divided well enough, with the former stage now closed up as a storage room for their equipment, most of which Mamori was sure were questionable yet she decided to remain oblivious to for obvious reasons. Half of the main hall was where they put up all the data and formations, scribbled and drawn onto large sheets of paper stuck on rolling whiteboards, with tables and chairs scattered all around.

The other half was made a casino. A habit Youichi found hard to let go of. Besides, the extra income came in useful especially when it came to their equipment. It was getting harder and harder to accommodate so many players, but barely a quarter of those who registered were here now. Most of them had already been told earlier on that they stood no chance of playing, a job Mamori was glad to get Hashimoto to do.

Most of the hall was cleared out now, only one wheeled whiteboard stood in the middle. Mamori drew a line right down the middle of the board with a marker, and wrote Defense on the left and Offense on the right.

There was excitement in the air now, everyone whispering their predictions as they waited for Youichi to make his appearance. Mamori began to suspect that many of them weren't expecting to be selected, but had made bets to see who would make it into the teams.

Youichi finally joined the group, fresh from a bath, together with the other regulars such as Ikkyuu, Yamato, Taka and the rest. Mamori nodded at Youichi, who grinned at her first before turning to the group of players.

"ARE YOU FUCKERS READY?" he cried, arms raised as a chorus of cheers rang out from the crowd.

"That's right you sweaty meatbags. The time is now!" The cries settled down as Youichi began to speak. "We've been training long and hard and the Rice Bowl is here once more. We've got many more rivals coming up, a lot of fucking new ones too. And while we have those to worry about, don't you dare forget the other usual teams such as that fucking Enma Fires! So what do you aim to do to them this year?!"

"FUCKING KILL THEM!!!" the players eagerly replied, and to Mamori's amusement, even Taka seemed to join in the excitement with the smile forming on his lips. She's told him so many times to loosen up and really join in the team emotionally, so she supposed this was as good as it gets for him.

"THAT'S RIGHT FUCKERS!" Youichi pulled out his heavy machine guns and began to riddle the ceiling with more holes as he began to shoot at it. "YA-HA!"

The excitement was going on for a bit too long. Mamori cleared her throat and tapped the board with the end of the marker, glaring at Youichi. He heard her, but his grin never faded even as he put the guns away. "All right, settle down! I'm about to announce those in the Defense team. Anezaki will write down the names on the board."

Youichi pulled out a book from his pockets, similar looking to his notorious black book. But this one was known for having information and tactics on their plays. This was why Mamori knew he had already made up his mind on who was playing.

He already had most of the strategies down pat.

"Let's start this off then!"

A lot of the names mentioned were new, much to their excitement. They knew they had no chance in playing offense, so defense was as good as it gets. Some of these players included Amori Gosei, a former Koigahama Cupids player, and Katagi Yasushi, a former Taiyou Sphinx player who Banba convinced to join Saikyoudai. He turned out to be a great player, and a great addition to the team.

Mamori wrote down all 11 names on the board. With the amount of players they had, they were able to have two different teams. One for defense, and the other for offense. There was no doubt that Youichi would be leading the offense team, and that all key players would be in there.

Mamori readied her marker under the word Offense. Youichi read the list out loud.

"For the Offense team. Quarterback, Hiruma Youichi."

Mamori wrote his name down as the players behind her cheered in excitement.

"Wide Receivers: Hosakawa Ikkyuu and Honjou Taka.

Tight End: Hayato Akaba.

Center: Banba Mamoru.

Guard: Oonishi Gorou and Yamashita Hiroki.

Tackle: Miyagi Daisuke and Juumonji Kazuki."

The players going ecstatic now. All of the best star players had been recruited into the offense team. Except...

"And lastly Runningback. Yamato Takeru...

And Kongo Agon."

It was then that the rest of the Wizards players fell silent as the star players applauded. Mamori looked behind her to see the crowd looking at Agon, who had mysteriously appeared and was now standing behind Yamato. Yamato, a little startled by this, took it all in good terms. He smiled and raised his hand towards Agon. "Let's keep doing our best, Agon."

Agon sneered, much to the other player's horror. But Agon took Yamato's hand, his sneer more maniacal than menacing. "You better not get in my fucking way, Yamato. We have to defeat those trashes and win."

Yamato smiled and nodded in return. "You can bet on it."

Youichi turned to Mamori, who shrugged though she couldn't hide her excitement. Agon had never been okay with working with Yamato before, their past attempts always failing so Youichi would switch Agon with Akaba. While Akaba was fast, they needed more speed especially with their current opponents. So this match would have to do.

“We’ll announce the subs tomorrow before practice,” said Youichi. “So you asswipes better not think it’s the end for you. You may still get a chance to play in hell. YA-HA!”

“YA-HA!” the other players chorused.

With the announcements set and done, Juumonji approached Mamori as everyone else made their way back to their lockers. "Those of us in the Defense and Offense team are planning to have a big feast tonight in celebration of us being selected for the Rice Bowl. Would you and Hiruma-senpai like to come?"

Mamori always wondered why Juumonji remain respectful as he was when he first joined Saikyoudai, but it was a trait she admired all the same. "I would love to, but Yo-" Mamori bit her lips. _Be careful!_ she scolded herself. "But Hiruma-kun and I have a bit more data to process through and..."

"We'll be there!" Youichi cried out to her, after receiving the invite upon talking to both Yamato and Agon. Mamori gave him a glare.

_We don't have time for this._

Youichi merely grinned in return. _Lighten up. We're back with the team, let's enjoy their company more._

Mamori sighed a little, then smiled as she turned to Juumonji. "Looks like the big boss has given his approval. I just need to clean up the hall a little and I'll be on my way."

"I'll help you, Anezaki-senpai," said Juumonji, but he said it a little too loudly because other players had overheard. And soon Mamori had a huge amount of help to clean up the clubhouse. She knew there was no stopping them, as during her first year the boys would insist by grabbing the tables or the cleaning utensils and demanding instructions for what to do with them. Smiling, she instructed them on what to do and when she was done, she and the main players set off to the restaurant.

The party went on as insanely as Mamori had expected. She apologised as much as she could to the restaurant owner, to which he merely bowed and shook his head. He was used to this madness, and could only hope they didn't create more damage than they did the last time the entire team ate here.

Youichi was not helping at all. As expected during this little downtime, curious players began to ask what happened to him and why he was away for so long. Every time someone asked that, he would shoot them, much to Mamori's horror. Rubber bullets or not, close range shots like that would hurt.

Even Banba and Yamato tried to ask Mamori what had happened. She shrugged, hoping that her explanation would be good enough as keeping quiet would make things worse. "It wasn't a big deal. Hiruma-kun was having a hard time with his father and needed me to convince him to take better care of himself." A half lie was as good as she could give, but it seemed to satisfy Banba and Yamato well enough as they left her mostly alone

By the time the restaurant had to close, almost everyone was drunk or had already gone home. Mamori scurried to make sure everyone either took a taxi home or had someone who wasn't as drunk to take them home. Mamori waved Banba and the others goodbye, feeling satisfied after she had arranged transportation for everyone.

But she forgot Youichi had stayed behind. "Come on, I'll send you home."

It felt like forever since they could at last be alone together, even though it had just been a day. But even then, Mamori felt too tired to look too deeply into it. She nodded, and as they walked towards his car, he said, "Keh. The team's as insane as ever."

"Just the way you like it," Mamori replied, beaming at him.

He grinned in response. _You know me too well._

The drive back was quiet the entire way, both still feeling exhaustion from remnants of the wedding that was quickly feeling far behind. And despite their aim to focus on winning the Rice Bowl, they both knew there was no end to this, especially with what they had planned this weekend.

Upon arriving at her place, Mamori alighted from the car but Youichi called out to her. He looked at her with an almost stoic look, but Mamori could tell he seemed a little nervous too. A look she was now familiar with since the wedding. "I'll see you this Sunday at my place... all right?"

There was something in the way he asked that made Mamori giggle. She may be tired, but even with all the work before her, she couldn't deny she looked forward to it all. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot promise you when the next chapter will be out, but I can share with you what it will be about! We will be deviating for Mamori's point of view for a bit and we'll be seeing more of what's going on with the star players, which are mainly the characters that we're all familiar with. There are some unspoken thoughts and issues that I've yet to cover so you'll see that happen in the next chapter so do look out for it! If I can finish it soon enough.
> 
> I just hope the gameplay written here was okay. It's short, but do let me know if the writing style is weird or off as I'll be writing more of such scenes in the future. I hope you don't mind me making the defense players mostly anonymous as juggling too many characters at once is a bit too much for me. Other than that, thank you so much for the constant support of this fic! Your comments and even messages to me asking me when the next chapter is coming out has been insanely encouraging. I hope you can continue to be patient with me as I do my best to complete this fic. Thanks again!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot apologise enough for how long this chapter took. I think it's almost been a year? I'm so so sorry. It's been a rough past year for me, having been retrenched and changing jobs twice, taking on two freelance jobs and on top of it all, dealing (and finally overcoming!) depression and suicide. Honestly, it was tempting to give up writing fanfic, especially after being retrenched from my writing job, I felt defeated as a writer and took a long break from writing. But recently, I found myself wanting to get back into it again and after receiving continuous support despite my hiatus, I finally got the kick I need to keep writing especially after a recent review left me feeling determined to not give up.
> 
> And as such, here's the next chapter. Thank you for all the reviews and sweet messages everyone, and I urge you all to always leave a nice comment to the writer or artist who inspired you or made you happy. Or leave little messages of happiness to those online who you think need some cheering up. You may just give them the push they need to keep going through a rough day.
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy the next chapter! Last major buildup before we move on to the second arc of this fic. I changed my initial plan of making this fic have more football strategies as I realise I'm still too weak in making that work. So I decided to play up my strengths and do more character build up. Hope you enjoy!

Laughter filled the private room in the latest Korean Barbecue restaurant to open near the Saikyoudai University. Taking advantage of the opening ceremony's discount of unlimited meat for a set price, one which the owners would greatly regret later on, were a few members of the Saikyoudai Wizards who were there to enjoy one last meal after practice before their one day break and then back to the daily grind of studies and the inevitable Rice Bowl.

The initial discussions of the upcoming game - who they could be playing against and the likeliness of them winning this year, dwindled down to the fact that two members in particular did not join them for much of today's practice, and had left early instead, though at different times with the manager leaving first. That was when one of the Wizards came up with a suggestion that caused the entire room to erupt in laughter.

And that person was not happy with the hilarity he'd caused.

"I am telling you, something weird is going on with Anezaki and Hiruma!" cried Yamashita Hiroki, the new linesman for the Wizards. He'd joined the Wizards just this year and in spite of his small frame, he'd proven to be rather sturdy. "Ever since they returned, they're acting differently, I'm sure of it!"

"You're only saying that because you don't know how they are like at all," said Banba, flipping a few slices of pork on the grill before him. "They’ve worked together since High School, so of course they depend on each other quite a bit, it’s nothing new. In fact, they've improved a lot since they first began working together for the Devil Bats, didn't they, Juumonji?"

Juumonji was taking a sip of beer and almost choked when his name was called. Coughing a little, and with a small smile, he nodded. "Yeah, they were at each other's necks back at Deimon when they were still forming the Devil Bats. But before I knew it, they grew to really respect each other a lot and have always been working together, especially when Hiruma requested Anezaki to help him train the Devil Bats during their third years, even though he couldn’t play. In fact... I don't think he even asked her. They just fell into their roles without a word."

"That doesn't mean anything!" said Hiroki with determination. "Even I could see the quiet respect they have for each other and the way they work together when I joined the Wizards. But I'm telling you, there's a lot more tension between them now than ever!"

"Well then, what say you, stand in Captain?" asked Banba towards Yamato, a nickname the team decided to call him since Hiruma left.

Yamato shrugged, but he couldn’t stop smiling at the banter that was going on. "Can't say I've seen anything interesting between the two. But that's because I've been busy preparing for the Rice Bowl. As were the rest of us."

A number of heads nodded in agreement, but Hiroki was undeterred. "Taka, you read about things like this!" cried Hiroki. "You agree with me right?"

Taka had been quiet most of the time, eating the just cooked sliced marble beef with disinterest. He was banned from bringing a book to read during meal times with the team so he often preferred to be in his own thoughts. But he did find himself drawn towards this particular conversation. "I cannot say I agree with you, but I do find it odd how easily they brushed off what happened to them when they were away."

"What do you mean?" asked Yamato.

"Even if it is about Hiruma's father needing help, it's a little strange for Anezaki to be the best option for help when Hiruma has many other slaves, and whatever happened took quite a while too."

"There! There! Right there!" cried Hiroki, rising and banging the table in triumph. Something doesn't add up and that's why the two of them are more tense!"

Ikkyuu rolled his eyes at this point, having lost his appetite and feeling rather annoyed at Hiroki’s insistence. "That doesn't mean anything. Hiruma's father may be going through something serious and maybe someone like Anezaki really is the best to give some form of aid or support. She is good at tending to wounds and illnesses after all."

A guitar strummed. "You're blind to the possibility of something grander, Ikkyuu," said Akaba.

This pissed off Ikkyuu even further. "Listen, you're all focusing on the wrong thing here! We have a Rice Bowl to win! You know, the one we've been training for all this time? Whatever is happening between those two has no concern for any of us!"

"Admit it, Ikkyuu," said Hiroki. "You just don't want to believe that it's possible that Hiruma and Anezaki may be dating!"

Ikkyuu slammed the table with his fist and stood up in defiance. "Say whatever you want, Yamashita!" he cried at the top of his voice. "But there is no way in hell that Hiruma and Anezaki are dating!!"

The room was silent for a moment, with only Juumonji quietly saying, "What happened to your training from Shinryuuji?" but they were interrupted by loud, running footsteps, and the door sliding open with a loud bang.

"What's that you say?!" cried a familiar, petite girl excitedly.

"Suzuna!" cried Juumonji in surprise.

"Ya!" Suzuna waved. "Monjii! It’s been a while! I don't think you realise but the Enma Fires are eating at the private room just next door and we couldn't help but hear the most incredible statement from this room! That Yoi-nii and Mamo-nee are dating!"

"That’s not what I meant!" cried Ikkyuu, but groaned as a few members from the Enma Fires began to crowd by the door, Sena included.

"You know, I honestly thought the two had starting dating years back," said Unsui, Captain of the Enma Fires.

"How would you know, Unsui?" said Ikkyuu. "You're not a part of the Wizards!"

Riku, in spite of his attempt to seem disinterested, smiled and shrugged. "I don't know, the two of them seemed even closer since they became a part of the Wizards. Well, from what I heard in Enma and past Rice Bowls anyways."

Ikkyuu was about to reply when they heard Monta, who was apparently being tied down as his own cries of defiance could be heard from the other room, accompanied with his screams of, "MUKYAAA!!"

They then heard a loud crash and a dead silence fell upon all of them. The cries of Kurita apologising confirmed their worse fears.

Unsui turned pale. "... I think we're going to be banned from this place too," he said as he rushed off.

"Not again!" said Riku as he joined him. “I was really liking the food here too!”

Suzuna giggled and waved at the Wizards. "Well, if you hear anything else please let us know, I'm dying for some news about Mamo-nee and Yoi-nii! I miss them so much! Oh, and good luck for the upcoming Rice Bowl! You're going to need it!"

The Wizards remained silent, dumbfounded by how strange everything had become and at risk of burning the meat, until Yamato burst out laughing. "As stand in Captain, I am forced to say this: We will kill you!"

"Ya! Don't count on it!" cried Suzuna as she closed the door to the Wizards, but turned to see Sena, with an expression Suzuna had learn to know it's a mixture of nerves and deep thoughts. "What's wrong, Sena?"

Sena looked at Suzuna, hesitated for a moment, before saying, "I don't know why, but seeing as Mamori-nee-chan isn’t with the team and it’s creating more rumours… it’s making me worry about her."

Suzuna's expression dropped a little. "Why? Do you think there's something wrong?"

Sena shrugged, looking away. "I'm not sure..." Noting his concern was affecting Suzuna, he quickly changed his expression and smiled. "Heh, maybe I'm just worrying over nothing. Let's get back and see what sort of damage Kurita-"

Suzuna grabbed Sena's hand. He stared at Suzuna, who gave him a soft, supporting smile. "You silly, just say it."

"Say what?"

"That you wanna visit Mamo-nee of course!"

"Erm... I don't know if it's a good idea since the Rice Bowl is-"

"Ah, who cares! She's your Mamori-nee-chan! I'm sure we can see her for just a bit! Come on, I'll join you!"

It honestly didn’t seem like a good idea, and he could be wrong about his concerns, dragging Suzuna along with him. It did seem like he could be worrying over nothing… but maybe it really didn’t hurt to just see Mamori. Nodding, he said, "Okay. As long as we keep the girly talk limited."

"Ya! I can't promise you that!" she replied with a wink.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mamori woke up to a comfortable softness and warmth wrapped around her. It felt a little different than usual, but Mamori didn't think much of it as she hovered over being awake and going back to sleep. It wasn't until she realised this softness was so unlike her bed that her eyes snapped open and she took a good look around in panic.

Then she breathed a sigh of relief. Oh yes.

She stayed over at Youichi's place last night. Probably the first of many more to come in the future, she concluded.

Having exhausted herself from cleaning most of the house until late last night, Youichi insisted that Mamori slept over. Besides, she still needed to sort out her items, seeing as it took the entire day after practice to sort his stuff out, so she might as well stay back and get back to work the next day. Thankfully, there wasn't a lot to go through.

She folded back the futon which was an extra she had at home. Youichi stayed back at practice then drove straight to her place to pick her and these items up while her parents were still away for the weekend. She opened the baggage that included extra sheets, towels, her own clothes and some personal decoration items that she knew Youichi would not approve, but she decided it was necessary to make all this realistic.

After all, she is supposed to be living here.

Youichi seemed to have heard her as he opened the door. "Oi, you better move some of your stuff in my room," he told her, still in t-shirt and long loose pants.

"Good morning to you, too," said Mamori, now aware that she was still in pyjamas as well. "Don't you knock?"

"You're my wife, there's no such thing as privacy anymore," Youichi cackled, despite his insistence that Mamori should sleep separately from him last night so as to give her some privacy.

"I may be your wife but it would do you good to knock, thank you," Mamori huffed, but she giggled as Youichi gave her an exasperated face.

"Yes, your fucking Majesty, just make sure you get your stuff in the main bedroom so we can sort out whose stuff goes where."

"Okay, okay, just let me leave some sheets here for our... special guests... in case they need it."

“Urgh… those fuckers better not complain about this place or I swear I’ll just shoot them down.” He turned to leave. “I’ll wait for you in the main bedroom.”

Youichi lived in a two room and one bathroom apartment since he began studying in Saikyoudai. He once told Mamori that he didn't usually need a two bedroom place, but decided upon it when he realised he needed the space now that he's in college.

While his main bedroom was manageable as Youichi slept there so he needed the space, sorting through the guest room took Mamori and Youichi almost half a day as it was filled with football equipment and firearms.

_"And where will you put these now?" she had asked him as she carefully passed him a semi-automatic._

_"There’s another apartment nearby I can put these lovelies in, thanks to the power of my black book," cackled Youichi as he carefully took the gun from Mamori, though he cringed as he investigated the gun further. "Though I suppose I've lost interest in most of these. Looks like it’s time to sell these off to the mafia."_

Mamori rolled her eyes at the memory. As long as this second bedroom is clean, that's all that matters. For this will be the place the Satos will be staying during their impromptu visit.

Whereas Mamori would be sleeping with Youichi in the main bedroom. The idea of it made her take a sharp deep breath to calm her nerves. No matter how much she told herself that it wasn't a big deal, she still had moments where she couldn't believe she was married. To Youichi of all people.

And the hardest part was making sure that no one close to her knows about it.

She placed a small porcelain bear figure on the side table in the room, her little attempt at making the room a little more friendly to the guests. She doubt it would help, seeing how Sato Kaede didn't like anything Mamori liked, or her at all. But Mamori felt that it was necessary to be kind to Sato Kaede if she were ever to fulfill her mission of getting Sato Kirie’s ashes back.

A small thought went to Youichi’s father as she wondered if he would ever get his cancer treated. She offered a small prayer for his health as she proceeded to carry her baggage to Youichi's room, and took her phone along the way when she realised she received a text. Opening it, she was surprised to see it was Sena who had messaged her.

_Hello Mamori-nee-chan,_

_Sorry to trouble you. I hope you're doing well. I was just wondering if we could meet up today? It's been a while since we last met. If it's not too much trouble._

_Sena_

Mamori smiled and shook her head at how formal Sena sounded and his terrible habit of apologising, but her expression changed when she realised Sena wanted to meet up today. Of all days!

"Oi, what are you doing standing there with a blank expression?" Youichi called out to her as he could see her from the main bedroom.

"Sena wants to meet up with me! Today!" cried Mamori. "Oh no... what should I do?"

"What do you mean what should you do?" Youichi replied, slightly annoyed as he approached her. "You decide whether to meet him or not!"

"Are you really sure it's okay for me to go? Don't you need me for anything else?"

"Yeah, I need you in my bed later tonight," Youichi cackled as Mamori pouted. "Stop being a fucking saint, thinking you need to be here for me all the time. You've done a hell load for me already. Just sort out your stuff, go out with the Fucking Pipsqueak, then go home and get some rest."

Mamori wanted to argue, but she knew he was right about her worrying too much, and as much as they were married, she was not chained to him and she needed to act as such. He had taken the baggage in her hands and proceeded to bring it to the main room, as she reread Sena's message and proceeded to send him a reply.

She then walked into Youichi's room and began to take some of her clothes out. "What did you say to the Pipsqueak?" he asked her.

"I'll meet him for lunch nearby."

"Good. See if you can draw out some Enma Fires secrets from him."

"Really, Youichi?"

"Kekeke!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a relief to know that Mamori was willing to meet up with him, especially on such short notice. Sena had wanted to meet up a little later, but with Suzuna's insistence on how busy they will be once the new term starts and the Rice Bowl coming up, it was obvious there wasn't a lot of time and today really was the best day.

"Do you want a bite of my parfait, Sena?" asked Suzuna, who didn't hesitate to order something for herself as they waited for Mamori.

Sena smiled. "I guess a little bit is fine."

"Okay! Say aaaah," she said as she took a scoop of ice cream and held it out to him.

Sena opened his mouth and allowed Suzuna to feed him the ice cream, glad to see Suzuna humming happily. That was when he heard someone giggle behind him.

"Oh dear, did I come at the wrong time?"

"Mamo-nee!" cried Suzuna as Sena did his best to not choke. Suzuna jumped up and proceeded to give Mamori a big hug, to which she returned excitedly.

"It's been so long, Suzuna-chan! How are you doing?"

"I'm great! Please, sit down! Do you wanna share my parfait?"

Mamori laughed as she took a seat. "I don't think I can share anything sweet with anyone, Suzuna-chan. I think I'll order some lunch and then have one parfait for myself if you don't mind. How are you Sena?"

Sena, who had been staring at Mamori with a  dumbfounded look since she arrived, finally picked himself up and smiled. "I'm great! It's really so good to see you, Mamori-nee-chan."

"Same here, Sena. I still can't get over how much you've grown! Oh, thank you," said Mamori, sidetracked as the waitress gave her a menu and a glass of water.

Since she came in Sena had been trying to read Mamori’s expression, who was undoubtedly cheerful, but there was no denying how worn out she looked to him. Sena knew classes and football practice can be trying even for a manager, but the semester break just ended and she should have gotten some amount of rest, right?

Mamori ordered Japanese curry for lunch as Suzuna ordered Omelette Rice, to which Mamori scolded Suzuna a little for having dessert first. "You gotta live a little, Mamo-nee! How about you, Sena?"

"Huh? Oh, Omelette Rice as well please."

"Got it," said the waitress. "One Japanese curry rice set and two omelette rice set. Please wait for a moment."

As the waitress walked away, Suzuna leaned in towards Mamori. "Mamo-nee, the rumours about you and Yoi-nii are getting unbearable! You have to tell me the truth!"

Mamori looked baffled. "The truth? About what?"

"Are you and Yoi-nii finally dating?"

Sena caught the way Mamori's eyes widened for a slight second, before she burst out laughing. "Come on, Mamo-nee, don't tease me!" said Suzuna.

"Ah, Suzuna, after all these years do you really think the two of us going out would even be possible?" She reached out to grab the glass of water before her.

"Really, Mamo-nee? Not even one little dinner together?"

Mamori seemed a little lost in her thoughts as she took a sip of water. "Oh, we take plenty of dinners together. Together with the rest of the Wizards or surrounded by Football strategies."

Suzuna sighed. She looked at Sena for a moment, who was a little surprised at how Suzuna sobered from her giddiness. "Hey, Mamo-nee... are you really okay with this?"

"Okay with what, Suzuna-chan?"

"Well... just... not being treated like the Queen that you are? Think about it!" Suzuna quickly cut Mamori off before she could protest. "The reason why we could barely meet up was because you're always dedicating yourself to studies and American Football. And that's great! But you deserve to go out on dates, you deserve to have someone look at you and tell you how beautiful you are, you deserve to have some fun for yourself once in a while, you know?"

Sena saw it. He was sure of it. A flash of sadness in Mamori's eyes, the way she turned to look at the glass of water before her as she played with her fingers. Then she giggled and looked at Suzuna, "I hope Sena is treating you that way then, Suzuna, for a long time to come!"

"I..." Suzuna blushed. She looked at Sena flustered, though a little happy, which made Sena fluster as well. "Oh! I... I have to go to the bathroom for a bit."

Suzuna got up quickly and left while Sena sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry about that, Mamori-nee-chan."

"Sena, what's wrong? I thought you and Suzuna were going out?"

"We are! And I'm sure Suzuna's happy despite the way she acted..." said Sena, though he glanced at the direction Suzuna left. "Actually, this break would be the last time the two of us can date easily. Once the Rice Bowl starts, there won't be a lot of time. And then..."

"Oh, Sena!" Mamori said with concern. "You're not going back to Notre Dame again, are you?"

Sena sighed. "Suzuna's actually really supportive of me, but I cannot really offer her much of a future yet so it gets hard for us to talk about the future."

"It's all right, Sena." Mamori smiled warmly. "You and Suzuna are still young, there's still a lot in life to experience. If the two of you really love each other, then things will work out for sure. So don’t fill your head with more worries and focus on the Rice Bowl. You’re supposed to beat us right?"

Sena nodded, smiling in return. No matter what, it was good to get some reassurance from Mamori. "But that reminds me, Mamori-nee-chan, I heard that Hiruma-san disappeared and you went after him. What happened?"

Mamori took a deep breath as she shook her head. "Oh, it wasn't anything serious..." she said, though Sena knew her enough to be aware that she was definitely lying. "Hiruma's father is really ill, and he needed help to take care of him for a bit. So I decided to help out."

"I... see..." said Sena, nodding as his worries were confirmed. But he knew it wasn't worth chasing Mamori on this. It didn't sound right to force her when she seemed really guarded. "Then... can I say something, Mamori-nee-chan?"

"Of course, Sena!"

"If you ever need any help at all, please let me know. I know with the Rice Bowl coming up, we'd be rivals and all. But you're still Mamori-nee-chan to me, the sister who has always been supportive of me and my dreams. And I'd really like to offer the same to you."

Mamori seemed awed by what he said, which made Sena stutter the rest of his words. "S-so y-yeah! J-just call me okay? A-as long as it's not about the Rice Bowl!"

This made Mamori giggle. "Darn it. And I so wanted those Enma Fires strategy secrets. Youichi will be disappointed."

The words tumbled out of Mamori's mouth before she could stop it, causing the two of them to stare at each other in horror. Mamori was about to correct herself but the waitress finally gave them their order, and Suzuna was on her way back.

They ate and talked about their studies and how stressful it is, as Mamori slowly reverted back to her old self and seemed to have forgotten about her little blunder. But Sena withdrew himself from most of the conversation as he realised whatever that was happening with Mamori could be a lot more serious than it looks.

And he was certain the former Devil Bat captain was involved.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Youichi woke up to darkness as his stomach protested at the fact that he barely ate that day. He'd promised Mamori that he would go out and eat after she left, but he wasn't hungry at the time so he ended up going through some final strategies and watching the practice tapes for the Rice Bowl, before finally taking a nap which lasted four hours by the looks of it. He was tired, and though he was certain he could still play well for the upcoming Rice Bowl, he feared he had a little too many distractions in his head.

He proceeded to turn on the lights in the apartment, and stared for a moment at how different it looked now. Mamori had decorated the place a lot more than he expected, with new light green curtains and once bare tables now covered with doilies and table cloths. Lamps were now covered with cream shades that gave the hall a warmer look. He definitely did not approve of some of the decorations, especially with the figures of Rocket Raccoon by the TV, but agreed to let it be though it didn’t stop him from sneering at the disgusting creature when he laid eyes on them.

But he would accept it all if it was enough to make her happy. She deserved this much and more after all.

He gave himself one little moment to sigh at the enormous task before him. He must to win the Rice Bowl. Most importantly, he had to protect her at all cost from whatever it is the Satos might do to her.

That was when he heard a knock on the door. His first instinct was to grab a gun, as there shouldn't be any guests at his apartment. But then he realised only one person knew where he lived for now. He opened the door.

Mamori smiled at him, holding two bags before her. "I hope you're hungry! I brought us dinner!"

Youichi felt relieved to see her in a way, but also irritated. "What are you doing here, Fucking Manager? Shouldn't you be at home, resting?"

Mamori walked in and placed the bags on the dining table. "Could you get the plates and cutlery, please?"

Youichi wanted to complain. He wanted to tell her off and leave him alone, but his stomach protested and demanded the curry as the smell wafted into the small dining room. Without another word, he went to get the plates and cutleries as Mamori opened the plastic bags to reveal rice and curry. "The place where Sena, Suzuna and I ate had really good curry, and I wanted to share it with you."

As Mamori prepared the food on the plates, Youichi sat down, staring at her. She gave him his plate of rice and curry, then sat down with her own plate as well. She finally decided to look back at him, determined to ask him something.

"I have three wishes, right?"

Youichi stayed silent for a little longer before replying, "Yes."

"I'd like to make one now."

"Go ahead."

"I want us to have a meal together whenever we can. Just the two of us. With little to no talks about Football, we’re just going to appreciate each other’s company."

Youichi didn't like this wish at all. They've eaten together a number of times already that it felt like she wasted this one. But he saw the earnest look in her eyes, and memories of how they were always rushing to eat and get back to work flashed before him. It may mean very little to him to just eat together, but it may mean a lot to her to have his company in this manner.

He did promise after all.

"Well then, wish fucking granted."

As they began to eat their meal, Youichi found it awkward at first. He was suddenly aware of the way Mamori sat, the way she chewed, the way she brushed her hair back as she leaned forward to eat. The small smile in the corner of her lips for having her first silly wish granted.

Was she always this pretty?

"So. Did you get those fucking secrets?"

"Youichi!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really have to say that you people reading this fic are amazing! I'm seriously so honoured to have so many of you being so supportive and understanding! I'm sure you've all been through a lot of hardships as well, and I'm proud of you for taking some time to read my fic and leaving me such encouraging comments despite how long it took for me to update this. So thank you once again!
> 
> Now about this chapter! We've moved on to the second arc of this story which will include a bit more football. Initially I wanted to write lengthy descriptions on the games, but thought it wasn't a good idea seeing as I'm no expert on Football so I'd just be really wordy, and besides I know most of you are really here for some HiruMamo goodness. But do bear with me as regardless, Football plays a vital role in the development of both Hiruma and Mamori in this story, so I'll do my best to keep the description of Football light and simple and focus on developing the characters as well as I can!
> 
> Thank you again for the amazing support!

Anezaki Mami woke up extra early this morning at 5.30am, aware that today was a big day for her daughter. Classes had finally started for Mamori, and to top it off, the Rice Bowl season, in which her team was competing to be qualified for the Koshien Bowl this December, began today. After which if they become champions, they would need to compete with those from the Kansai region and then compete against the X-League champion for the Rice Bowl.

Mami had always been proud of her daughter and her endeavours, and was especially happy that her daughter shared every detail of the games and strategies with her, despite Mami not understanding most of her daughter's explanations.

Even so, it's a mother's job to support her children as best as possible. Which was why Mami frowned the moment she left her room to be greeted by the scent of fried eggs wafting from the kitchen downstairs.

"Mamori?" Mami called out as she descended down the stairs.

"Hmm? Oh, good morning Mama!" greeted Mamori, smiling at her mother as she placed the fried rolled eggs unto a plate. "You're up really early though? I'll make you some breakfast really quick."

"Don't be silly, Mamori, I woke up early to make you breakfast and bentou! You should be getting more rest..." Mami's words trailed off as she watched her daughter cut the rolled eggs carefully, only to realise she had cooked a lot of rolled eggs already. "You're making bentou for the whole team?"

Mamori nodded. "It's a big day, I want to make sure everyone is properly fed."

"Didn't you mention that your club has enough funds to cater for food?"

"Yes, well..." Mamori placed the cut rolled eggs into a rather large bentou box by the stove which already held a large number of octopus sausages, steamed broccoli, cherry tomatoes and potato salad which Mami remembered Mamori making the night before. "I wanted to ensure the team have a balanced meal, so I requested for the funds to buy the ingredients and I'd cook for them myself."

Mami didn't have the heart to scold her daughter for pushing herself so hard like this. As someone who loved cooking and seeing people enjoy her food, she knew Mamori wanted the same too. Even so... "You cooked the rice already?"

Mamori nodded as she pointed to the rice cooker at the corner of the kitchen. "Good," said Mami. "I'll make the onigiri."

"Oh, mama, it's okay! I'll do it myself!"

"Don't be silly, Mamori, I'm here and I want to help. You're doing so much already, at least let me help you with this."

Mamori stared at Mami for a moment as she proceeded to open the rice cooker and began to fluff up the rice with the rice paddle, but Mamori soon smiled and said, "Thank you."

As Mami began to form the onigiri at the dining table, her mind wandered back to the day Mamori returned from her trip to look for the missing team Quarterback. Mami had already been worried when her daughter was away, and it didn't make matters any better when Mamori returned looking disheveled and exhausted. Her daughter seemed to be holding back tears the moment she saw Mami, but she smiled and asked if she could have a hug.

_"What's wrong?" Mami had asked as Mamori held her mother tightly, sensing her daughter's restraint sobs._

_"It's nothing," Mamori's voice was calm. "I love you, Mama."_

Mamori then told the story of Hiruma Youichi's father, how he was ill and the drama of wanting to see his wife again. She offhandedly mentioned that the fact that Hiruma's father was dying made her miss her parents even more.

It eased her worries a little, but Mami knew there had to be more to this as Mamori came home every day worn out and often quite lost in her thoughts. There has to be something bigger going on.

"I'm done!" Mamori announced proudly as she completed the bentou. "I've got the lemon and honey in the fridge, so now it's just the onigiri and breakfast."

"I'll handle those, Mamori," said Mami. "Why don't you go up and rest for a while?"

"Oh, there's no way I can rest on a day like this, Mama!" Mamori walked over to her mother and sat next to her at the dining table. "It's the big day! We’re on our way to win the Rice Bowl! Once we qualify for the Koshien Bowl and become champions of that of course."

Mami laughed softly at her daughter's enthusiasm, glad to see her eyes light up in that way. "I know, and that's exactly why you need all the rest you can get. Now go up! You know it's Mama's kitchen when I'm here and I make the orders."

Mamori pouted. "Mama, really?"

"Upstairs. Now."

Mamori sighed in defeat. "Okay. I guess I can catch an hour's worth of sleep."

Mami nodded. "Good. Breakfast should be done by then and I'll be going to the market later to prepare for a baking class later today."

"Okay," Mamori replied as she went up the stairs slowly.

"Oh, Mamori?"

Mamori stopped at her tracks to look at her mother. "Yes, Mama?"

"Do your best today, and make sure your team wins!"

Mamori couldn't resist a grin. "Definitely!"

 

 

 

The first game was set at the familiar stadiums Mamori had been to in the past with the Devil Bats, and yet the chaos of preparing for a game never got easier for Mamori, regardless of the many times she'd been through it, or the strategies she had planned, or even with Hashimoto helping at the changing room to set up the gears or ensure they were wearing the right jerseys. Mamori still had the struggle of dealing with the schedule and which members of her team should be ready first for a quick breakdown of the upcoming game. And as always, everyone was taking their time.

“Anezaki! The food was delicious!” one of the Saikyoudai members said to her as they rushed out of the locker rooms.

Mamori’s nerves calmed down. Ah well, she thinks to herself, it’s all worth it in the end.

Youichi had just left the locker rooms, having been scouting the challengers they were going to be facing in the upcoming game earlier, thus his delay. "The Hosei Tomohawks have a pretty strong defense," said Youichi, as Mamori sorted out the data she had on the team on her clipboard. "Our offence should be strong enough to break through, but my main concern is that fucking lineman."

"Ameda Yuuhi," Mamori pointed out the player on her clipboard to Youichi. "His strategies often involve targeting the runningbacks."

"What's his speed like?"

"Last information I got was that he could run at 4.9 seconds at a 100 metre run."

"Keh. He's still slower compared to our runningbacks, and ours have some power to fight him off too."

"That would be fine if it's only him, you have to watch out for the rest of the Tomohawks team as they will block most possible routes and open one that is in Ameda's range, forcing Yamato or Agon to run straight towards him. Past teams facing the Tomohawks have lost due to that."

"When that happens, it's a matter of wit and brawn then," Youichi grinned as he popped a sugarless gum into his mouth. "This game is going to be good. Ready to win this, Fucking Manager?"

"Kill them all, Captain!" Mamori giggled, who was now used to saying that after joining the Wizards.

The rest of the team were called out as the game was about to begin, an exciting moment as this truly was the beginning of a long battle ahead. It’s been getting colder these days as fall settled in, but it didn’t deter the crowd from cheering in excitement. Mamori couldn't resist beaming at her team as they ran to the field, waving at the crowd during their introduction.

Mamori had specifically requested to Youichi not to introduce her anymore, especially since the team is a lot bigger and it wouldn't be fair to announce her role. Youichi had insisted she was vital in their gameplays, but she insisted in keeping a low profile.

She heard another cheer in the distance, marking the end of one of the first games that was held earlier today. Mamori checked her phone instantly, waiting for a text message from the spies that were sent to see who had won.

It barely took two seconds. It was the Mendou Frontiers.

Mamori took a deep breath as she looked at Youichi, who also received the text. He passed the phone to Mamori for her to keep. "We'll need to check the tapes later."

Mamori nodded, aware that the spies were sent to study and record the game between the Mendou Frontiers and the Kajima Deers. If Mamori recalled correctly, the Kajima Deers were a strong team, so for Mendou Frontiers, a relatively new team, to beat such a strong opponent meant they were something the Wizards had to look out for.

And the worse part was realising they had little to no information on this team. Youichi's prediction had been that they would lose.

There was no use worrying about that now. Hashimoto took his seat beside Mamori, as she held on to a brand new camera provided by the University as Hashimoto kept track by writing down the data Mamori collected.

The crowd was massive as cheers resounded through the stadium as both the Saikyoudai Wizards and the Hosei Tomohawks got into position. The Wizards lost the coin toss and to their surprise, the Tomohawks chose for offense.

“What do you think that means?” Hashimoto asked Mamori.

“It could mean that they want to score a few goals first before they roll into defence, which is their preferred strategy… or they know how strong our offence team can be and want to delay facing that,” replied Mamori as the defence team went into their first formation.

This was it. The first game of the season.

The game kicks off, and Mamori is watching the team carefully through camera lens as the Seagulls played their offense with an initial kick. So far everyone was playing it safe so the game goes on for 10 minutes, without any touchdown scored, which meant Mamori’s second prediction could be right. Sadly, the Tomohawks succeed in advancing a yard, which meant that despite their defence team was the one to look out for, the Tomohawk’s offence was nothing to doubt about.

Mamori zoomed out to have a clearer view of the players on the field, noting that Youichi was at the other side of the field and was observing one of the team members offence strategies, particularly the linebacker. He was sending her signals to ask for more information about that last play, and that was when she noticed a group of players in their blue and yellow jerseys, watching the game with interest just above him at the stands.

She recognised them instantly. The Mendou Frontiers.

One of them in particular, with slick hair and thick glasses, was watching Mamori with interest. Mamori initially thought he was just checking her out, so she ignored him.

Mamori signalled back quickly about the linebacker’s last speed and what his strategy may be, when she realised through the camera that the player with the slick hair and thick glasses was doing hand signals too.

Mamori was confused at first, wondering if he was just copying her. She ignored him again, as she gave Youichi a little more details and focused on the view from her camera screen.

But at the corner of her eye, she recognised the hand signals that player was giving. Her heart sank. She zoomed in at him.

_"I know."_

That was all he signalled. Over and over again. Mamori gasped.

"What's wrong?" Hashimoto asked, snapping Mamori out of her shock and drawing her camera back to focusing on the field.

She shook her head. "It's nothing," she said as she steeled her resolve to focus on the game. But she knew she couldn't concentrate as well as her instincts told her that something about the Mendou Fighters spelled trouble, and may be a bigger threat than she realised.

She cringed at the sight of some defence players being tackled to the ground, creating an opening for the Tomohawks. She cried out with the rest of the team for someone to stop the Tomohawk’s Runningback.

But the Tomohawks scored their first touchdown.

 

 

In a game that tested the Wizards' patience, the team finally broke through the Hosei Tomohawk’'s fatal flaws and won with a score of 38-12 thanks to the brilliant offence team lead by Youichi. The team was cheering and celebrating from their win, but Mamori kept to herself for a moment as she realised the Mendou Frontiers had left the stadium.

"Hashimoto-kun, could you pass me that green folder?" said Mamori.

Despite loudly cheering as well, Hashimoto scurried back to the bench to get her the said folder when he heard her, and bowed his head as he passed it to her. "Anezaki-senpai, the folder you requested!"

Mamori took the folder immediately, flipping through the pages and stopping at whatever little information she had on the Mendou Frontiers. She went through the profiles and pictures of the players she had, and stopped at the one she instantly recognised.

"Kurosaki Eric," Mamori whispered. "Quarterback."

"Oi," Youichi's voice called out to her as he approached the bench. Hashimoto got up and bowed but Youichi ignored him. "What the heck was wrong with you today? I had to tell you what to do most of the time, you were so fucking distracted."

Mamori pressed her lips together, then pulled Youichi away from the bench, away from Hashimoto's ears and towards one of the corners within the stadium, hoping to avoid the team as they head towards the lockers. "Youichi, you're not going to believe this," said Mamori, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "But I think someone learnt our hand signals."

"What?!" cried Youichi.

Mamori shushed him. "Listen, I know it's too soon to be sure but it's really starting to look like we need to watch out for the Mendou Frontiers. If what I think is true, we will need to come up with a new set of hand signals if we want to make sure they don't read through all our strategies in any of the upcoming games."

Youichi frowned. "No."

"Eh?"

"No. Let's not use new signals for now. Let's lull them into believing we'll always use those signals, and then come up with new signals once we have to face them."

"But they could spread our strategies to other teams!"

"Let them, we'll just come up with better ones."

"What about the team? Wouldn't it be hard to train them new strategies to avoid being defeated at this stage?"

Youichi cackled. "Fucking Manager," he said with a grin. "We can prepare all we want but shit like this is exactly what makes American Football fun. The team will catch up, they’re fucking smart, that’s why we picked them."

Mamori sighed, "Fine. You are the Captain after all but in the meantime I’ll look into a possible alternative to the hand signals..." Mamori felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out, wondering if there was more information being sent to her from the spies. There were a number of messages, which included some possible strategies from possible winners of the X-League who were currently training. But the one that caught her attention the most made her eyes widen.

She opened that message and couldn’t restrain a loud gasp from escaping her.

Youichi stared at her. “What the fuck?”

"Youichi," Mamori began, and he knew this was something serious. The team was calling for them. This had to be quick.

"Kaede is coming to Tokyo. Tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my biggest regrets with this fic is not properly describing how the Rice Bowl works, so I hope the explanation in the beginning makes sense? It's kind of how the Christmas Bowl works in the original manga, except rather than it being about high schools competing against each other, the Rice Bowl has one Company Club Football Team (Which is the winning X-League team) compete against a University that has won the Koshien/Kansai Bowl. The Koshien Bowl is held in December and is the one the Saikyoudai Wizards have to win to make themselves eligible for the Rice Bowl.
> 
> So this is just the preliminary rounds for a selected number of teams to be eligible to compete in the Koshien Bowl. And this will play an important role in the upcoming chapters, which I'll do my best to set up as well as possible! Thanks again for reading my explanation, and I'll try my best to complete the next chapter soon. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! I'm making good time with my updates!
> 
> Okay, not entirely, but at least I've been able to make updates like, at least once or twice a month? I know it's pretty long for some of you but I'll do my best to at least keep this momentum.
> 
> This chapter was a lot of fun to write! I was a little uncertain on how to start, but once I did, I couldn't stop. I even got myself to type it out despite having one finger wrapped in plaster due to a cut. All those who reviewed have been amazing, thank you so much! And I hope you enjoy this chapter!

"Are you sure it's okay to not pick them up?"

"Keh, do you think they'd want to sit in such close proximity with us?"

Mamori looked around the interior of the tower car, which was rather spacey and could fit their "welcomed" guests well enough, but there was a point to what Youichi just said. She let out a hum in agreement.

It was hard not to let out a sigh of frustration and exhaustion. It was a good start for the Wizards conquest to win the Rice Bowl, but on top of some looming issues regarding the Mendou Fighters, which they intend to find out more soon, having to deal with the Satos as well made the weight on her shoulders heavier. "You didn't make a mess of the apartment yet, right?"

Silence.

"You're kidding me!"

Youichi growled. "It's the first fucking day, I needed the mess."

"Please tell me you at least confined it to your room?"

"There's some folders on the dining table, that's it."

"Oh! Should I prepare something for dinner?"

"I doubt they'd oblige enough to eat your cooking."

Mamori hummed to herself again. All these complications were getting ridiculous. "... Well, I'll just have to cook for the both of us then."

Youichi grinned. "You should make burgers and fries."

"That's a little too unhealthy for you, especially since your health is especially important throughout the next few months. But I'll take your suggestion and cook some lean hamburger steak then."

"Sounds perfect to me."

They had reached Mamori's home. She lingered in the car for a moment, wondering if there was a way to lighten the weight on her shoulders, if there was something she could say. Upon realising she really had nothing to say, Mamori gave Youichi a quick smile. "I'll tell my mother I'll be working late with you for the game after tomorrow."

Youichi nodded. "Tomorrow morning let's check out the Mendou Fighters with the rest of the team, then I'll take you to my place after that."

Mamori hesitated, realising something. "Do you think the team has noticed something about us?"

He cackled in response. "No fucking clue, but if this keeps up, they will see it eventually."

"What then?"

"Let's just say I still have a trusty old friend that will make sure they don't say anything beyond the team."

Mamori blinked once then giggled. "Ah yes, it's been awhile since I've seen you use that. Well then..."

She proceeded to open the door and take a step out. She turned to Youichi and realised she had probably been looking helpless before him for a while now, because with one steely stare, Youichi seemed to say the words he couldn't say aloud.

It'll be okay. I promise.

And with her resolve strengthening, she closed the door and went straight home.

\---------------------------------

 

"Ladies and gentleman, here are the Mendou Fighters!"

Cheers erupted behind the Wizards, much to their annoyance. Once the cheering died down a little, Ikkyuu turned to Yamato. "Is being here really that necessary? It's like watching a lion fight against a gazelle, it's too obvious who the winner is."

"Well, Hiruma insisted we come today to look out especially for the Mendou Fighters. There has to be a reason for that, so let's trust them on this, okay?"

"Besides," Akaba spoke up next to Ikkyuu. "Gazelles are totally capable of fighting and scaring lions off."

The game between the Mendou Fighters and the Obic Parrots was about to begin, half of the field filled with blue and yellow, and the other half yellow and red. Based on data, the Obic Parrots have a high chance of winning as most of the players are actually Americans, who were currently studying in Japan, all of which had some American Football experience. It was an obvious win based on physical strength alone.

But if Hiruma had anything to say, physical strength can only do so much in the face of really good strategies. But what can a new team come up with?

"I'm sorry I'm late!" a breathless Mamori finally appeared, carrying a lot more bags than usual. Taka offered to take some from her as he was nearby, much to her gratitude. "I actually forgot to cook the rice today, and there were a few items I needed to buy along the way."

There was a quick glance to Hiruma which very few had noticed. Yamato saw it, which made him smile a little more, but Ikkyuu was blissfully unaware as he glared at the field before him.

That was, until a bento was passed onto his lap. The smell of Anezaki's home cooking reached his nose and his stomach growled in anticipation. "Everyone, please eat up! And remember to eat well for the game tomorrow!"

The team began to eat earnestly, as the Obic Parrots finally made the kick off. Hashimoto already recording using Mamori's camcorder under her request. Everything went normally during the Obic Parrot's offense. As expected, they were a strong team, more so with their very sturdy linebacker who had no problems stopping two of the Fighter's linemen.

First touchdown. 6 points to the Parrots.

"It's barely been three minutes and the Parrots already scored," said Hiroki. "Should we really be worried about the Fighters? Let's just go home or train or-"

"Wait," said Banba, who was staring exactly at the Mendou Fighter's linemen and the way they were spread out as they prepared for offense.

They were too spread out. The Quarterback was barely protected, saved for his center. This made the Wizards sit up in interest.

"3! 3! 2! 2! Hut! Hut! Hut!"

The center snapped the ball to the Quarterback as he aimed to pass it to one of the Runningbacks. But it didn't take long for the Parrots to attack him directly.

Before anyone could see it, he had thrown his pass, and everyone in the stadium gasped as the Quarterback was tackled and the ball spun straight to the Parrots.

But for some strange reason, the ball spun sideways for a split second and landed straight into the arms of the Fighter's receiver. With the scattered protection, he was vulnerable, but he manouvered the field as fast and as nimble as a well known Eyeshield 21.

Touchdown. The crowd around the Wizards cheered, but the Wizards remained silent. Questions rose as a new play commenced.

"Did... did that ball just change direction midway?"

"How did that runningback know to wait right there?"

"Was there any secret signal? Did he say anything?"

Hiruma looked close to livid, but feigned interest to keep his cool. But Mamori was not taking this as well. For the Quarterback had just gave them their familiar hand signal after the touchdown, acknowledging their presence. 

Liked what you saw?

"Keh." Hiruma began to sign back, you're a fucking asshole if you think that little shit play will-

"Hiruma-kun!" Mamori cried out as she pushed Hiruma's hand down with hers, shaking her head. "Don't provoke him any further!"

"Get out of my way, Fucking Manager! I'll tell him whatever the fuck I want!" he shouted as he pulled his hand away from hers, but her grip remained firm.

"Don't you realise the seriousness of this situation? Their entire team understands OUR language! Don't push this any further!"

The rest of the team watched in awe as Hiruma actually backed off once Mamori let go of his hand, growling in annoyance at the sight of a very smug Fighter's Quarterback.

But it wasn't until Mamori's words sank in did they realise what had happened. Upon looking back at the tape that Hashimoto recorded, as the Fighters team spread out, everyone was using hand signals to convey quick, upclose information to the Quarterback. All of their stats about the different players, the possible attack, the angles they could take, were all read and interpreted so fast that no one realised it.

The true horror that was the Mendou Fighters had finally been revealed.

 

\-----------------------------

The Mendou Fighters won despite being taken down a number of times by the Obic Parrots. The fact that the Parrots lost was a shock to all those aiming for the Rice Bowl, as news spread of the unexpected win.

Mamori seemed to have recovered from the shock quite well. She assured everyone that everything was going to be okay, but there was a line of exhaustion in her voice and it was becoming obvious on her face.

"Listen up you fuckers!" cried Hiruma, calling attention to the team before they take the bus home. "I hope today's game shows you that there are fuckers out there who like copying us, obviously because we're the shit! So don't let that distract you, we've got plenty up our sleeves to show them that we're capable of killing them all!"

The Wizards cheered, except for Mamori, who could only smile. "You shits better be ready for tomorrow, get a lot of fucking rest, and remember the strategies we've practiced!"

The team cheered once more, as Hiruma turned towards Mamori, gave her a quick look and headed straight to his car, Mamori trailing behind him.

"Is... Is Anezaki going to be okay? That must have been quite a shock for her. She was the one who came up with the signals after all and no one had ever been able to decipher it until now," said Hiroki.

Banba stared as they disappeared around the corner. "She will be fine. But I get the feeling that Anezaki is wearing out a lot faster than I recall in the past games."

"You too, huh?" said Akaba. "She needs more music in her soul."

Ikkyuu growled. "Really, Akaba?"

\-----------------------------------------------------

Sato Kaede sniffed disapprovingly at the sight of the apartment Hiruma Youichi was living in with his new wife. They looked too small for her taste, that the idea of having to stay there for the night alone made her feel stifled. But a quick look around made it obvious that apartments like these were the norm here. "Really, Saori, have you ever seen such a disgusting display of urban life?"

"I think it's quite lovely here," said Saori, looking around the area. "There are parks nearby, and a convenience store. I think it's a good place for young couples to start their lives off."

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Kaede looked down at Saori, who could only smile in response as she looked away. "Now, which level is it? Thank god they have an elevator here."

They proceeded to take the lift right up to the 10th floor. As they walked down the path, passing door after door to look for Hiruma's apartment, Saori began to fuss. "We're early. I know they said they would be back at this time but I think we should have let them rest and prepare for our arrival."

"If they are unable to prepare for us, then they are unworthy in my eyes. Finally, there's the door. Ring the bell."

Saori pressed the doorbell, and they heard Mamori responded cheerfully, "Yes, I'm coming!"

The door opened to reveal Mamori, hair tied up in a ponytail, holding a spatula and an apron over a simple orange dress. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting! Are you tired? I was just about to cook dinner," she said as she let them in.

"Oh, I've brought some groceries we could use, there should definitely be enough for you and your husband as well," said Saori, showing the bags of grocery.

"Ah, that's so kind of you! Thank you very much," said Mamori as she helped to carry the bags. "I hope you don't mind, Youichi is currently using the bath. Do come in and make yourselves comfortable."

Kaede had been silent the entire time as she removed her sandals to wear the home slippers she had brought herself. She looked around the house with eyes narrowed. Small. Bland. Simple. 

"Please sit down, I'll get you some tea right away," said Mamori as she led Kaede to the very small living room that was just next to the dining area. "Would you like to watch some TV?"

Kaede raised her glance. Saori quickly responded. "There should be some enka music playing on one of the channels, put it on that one."

Mamori, slightly taken aback, quickly did as told and left Kaede alone to make the tea she mentioned as Saori prepared the ingredients. Kaede had seated herself on the couch, finding it rather hard and uncomfortable, as a popular enka singer's voice filled the room, lyrics that spoke of changing seasons and unfailing yearning.

Youichi appeared at this moment, face crumpled in disgust at the music. Kaede stared at him, a hint of amusement at the sight of him looking a lot more homely. "Married life suits you," she told him as he sat towards her left at another couch. "You look more tamed already."

"Oh really? My wife told me the complete opposite in bed last night," he replied with a grin.

"Youichi!" Mamori glared at Youichi as she brought the tea to the guest table before them and began to set the cups. 

The sight of the silver band on her left ring finger caught Kaede's eye. She looked at Youichi's and saw it there as well. "So you're both really into such intimacy?"

"Why the hell not? We're married after all." His eyes gleamed.

"But you're both still studying. With that game you keep telling about going on I doubt you both have a lot of time for such shenanigans."

Mamori's face darkened for a moment, causing Youichi to hold back his remarks. "Not to the point that we cannot eat and look after each other," she replied, turning to smile at Kaede after having poured the tea. "Here you go..."

"Madam Sato," said Kaede. "You are to address me as such from now on."

Mamori nodded. "I understand." She looked at Youichi. "I'll be cooking dinner with Saori. The tapes on the Mendou Fighters are on the desk for you to edit."

"Ah," said Youichi. He took the tea Mamori had made for him and got up. "Well, gotta get to work, Fucking Witch, so that I can make time for my wife later."

Kaede would have told him off for calling her that, but knew there was no culling his ridiculous ways. She merely took the tea Mamori had prepared and sniffed it as her way of telling Youichi to just leave her with tea and enka.

"My mother baked some cookies, please take your time to eat them," Mamori suddenly appeared, holding a tray with a variety of plain looking cookies. She bowed with a smile as she left her. "I hope you enjoy them."

Kaede's eyes narrowed at the sight before her. No, there was no use culling Youichi's ways, Kaede was sure of it.

Mamori on the other hand...

 

 

"Your tea," said Kaede to Mamori, as everyone sat down for dinner.

"Was it good?" Mamori replied, as she placed the side dishes closer to Kaede.

"You could do with a little lesson on proper tea making," she said. "You have gone for proper tea lessons, have you not?"

"I..." Mamori stammered. "Well, yes. Back in Junior High."

"Sloppy," was all Kaede said. "Saori, you make the tea from now on."

Saori looked down. "Yes, Madam."

Mamori's face looked pale, her eyes watery. It had been a long day, and Kaede's words did nothing to stop the rush of emotions filling her. Youichi caught this, and stumbled his way into preparing the rice for Mamori's bowl, as Saori did for Kaede.

"Oi," said Youichi, his voice low. "You look starving, you better eat first."

Mamori smiled in return.

"Saori, what is this?" Kaede asked, pointing at the hamburger patties. "Who cooked this ridiculous American food? You know how much I detest them."

Mamori gaped, unable to reply. Youichi quickly took over. "I fucking asked her to, it's my favourite. You don't have to eat it if you think it's a piece of shit."

Kaede glared at Mamori, who was more keen in looking in Youichi's direction. "Saori, which dishes did you cook? I'd like to eat only that."

Saori nodded and pointed out the ones she cooked. They proceeded to eat dinner silently, no one wanting to say a word about the heavy tension around them.

Kaede noticed both Mamori and Youichi's left hands were below the table. Without needing to glance down, she knew the two of them were possibly holding each other's hands for support.

Kaede resisted the urge to grin at the hilarious display.

 

 

 

"You can cry if you want to."

"I'm too tired to cry."

Mamori laid in the futon, back turned towards Youichi. She was emotionally spent after such a rough day, of realising the truth about the Mendou Fighters, of getting the the place ready and of dealing with Sato Kaede, who was now resting in the room next to theirs. 

"I can take the kind of bullshit the Fucking Mendou is giving us," said Youichi. "But what the fuck is up that old witch's ass to make her constantly attacking you? I've been giving her shit all day but she's still after you."

"I'm too tired to even comprehend what happened today." 

Her voice cracked. Youichi remained silent for a moment, and was really tempted to call it a day, but it just didn't seem right. It's been a rough day, with very little to be happy about. And knowing Mamori was going to bed miserable just didn't sit well with him.

"Fine, then don't comprehend this shit," said Youichi. "All I fucking know is I don't want you lying there defeated. I put you through this shit. There's got to be a way to end this better."

"Look, I'm not defeated and you don't have to make this better."

"Are you claiming I can't make this better?" Mamori heard a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I didn't say-"

Youichi had grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to lie on her back as he straddled her, his head hovering above hers. "Youichi, what-?"

"Come on, what's there to be shy about? We've done this plenty of times!" Youichi's voice rose, his eyes glancing at the wall.

"Youichi, that's not the point! Why are you even...?" Mamori's voice trailed off as she realised where Youichi was looking. She gasped. "Oh! No!" she whispered.

"Fuck yes," he whispered back. "Come on... you know you want to get back at her somehow. Just play along."

She was quiet for a moment, eyes wide with horror. "N-No!" Mamori cried out, louder. Startled, Youichi wondered if he went too far.

Her head turned towards the direction of the wall. "Not now! It's too embarrassing!"

Youichi cackled as Mamori suppressed a grin. "Come on now, my little wife! You know you like it!"

"Nooo..." Mamori couldn't contain her giggles, causing Youichi to grin further.

He whispered to her. "Bear with me for a bit." He raised his head even more, voice aiming at the wall. "Urgh, Mamori, you're so fucking good."

Youichi moaned a little more, the sight of it unbearable for Mamori who found the entire ordeal they were in ridiculous. She did her best to calm herself as she spoke in her best sultry voice, which was mostly her choking on her laughter. "Ah, darling, please..."

"Ooh! You really want it, huh?" 

They heard a rustling in the next room and a prompt knock on the wall. "You're free to do whatever you want there, but please keep your voice down," they heard Kaede say.

"Ah shit, hearing the voice of such a disgusting old witch has now left me flaccid!" Youichi exclaimed. "I'm sorry darling, you'll just have to wait another day!"

Mamori buried her face in her pillow as Youichi laid back down, unable to stop herself from laughing any further. When she finally raised her head to breathe, smiling from ear to ear, she saw Youichi looking at her with such amusement, yet it gave an aura of warmth.

"So. Did I make it better?"

She finally calmed down. Lying her head down to look at him, she closed her eyes with a content look, the last sight before she slept was the sight of Youichi reaching out to brush her hair from her face.

"Much better."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must first thank those of you who never gave up on this fic and continued to review and leave really encouraging messages despite the 16 month hiatus this fic got. You are the reason why I'm pretty certain this fic will reach its end, even though my life has been pretty messy in these past 16 months. I will share more on that after the fic, but until then I just want to humbly thank all of you for your support and hope you continue to support this fic until the end.

Saori was the first to wake. It was a given, seeing as she had to prepare Kaede's clothes and breakfast for the day. Having slept in the same room as Kaede, she carefully got up and prepared herself and wondered what was needed to cook this morning.

It was still considered early, which was why to her surprise she could hear Youichi and Mamori mumbling in the kitchen. After placing Kaede's robes for the day, she quietly left the room.

It didn't take long for her see them by the dining and kitchen, listening to their conversation. Mamori's quiet voice was the first she heard, followed by the sight of Youichi at the dining table, now strewn with papers as he worked on his laptop while talking to Mamori.

"... Even I’m not sure what’s going to happen if it does. So if we notice something like that happening again, we'll go along with what I propose as agreed," Mamori's voice was quiet, coming from the kitchen. Her back was facing Saori as she was tending to something on the stove.

"Keh, there's nothing to fucking worry about, Fucking Manager. We got this. Now give me that file," Youichi replied, eating an egg and ham sandwich as he typed on his laptop with one hand.

"Seriously, Youichi, just stop working on that and eat properly!" Mamori scolded as she left the stove and headed to the dining area where he was. "You're going to have crumbs in between the keys... ah!"

Mamori had finally noticed Saori, and seemed almost embarrassed for some reason. Saori smiled in an attempt to keep Mamori at ease. "Good morning!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't notice you there, Saori-san! Good morning!” Mamori quickly grabbed a file from one of the bags lying in the hall, passed it to Youichi who grabbed it with his eyes still glued to the screen, and walked up to Saori to lead her to the kitchen. “It’s a little hectic right now, I really hope you don’t mind the mess, I’ll clean it up right away. I have some rice cooked, I used it to make some bento for the team. If you don’t mind, you and Madam Sato can eat that."

"Oh, yes, my dear, that is fine with me!" said Saori, finally welcoming herself into the kitchen to be with Mamori. The sight of a pot with something boiling inside caught her attention. "I see you also made some miso soup?"

"Oh, yes," Mamori replied. "I know you should be doing most of the cooking. But I thought..."

Saori had already placed a little bit of the soup on a small plate for her to sip from. Her eyes shot open. "It's delicious!"

"Thank goodness!" Mamori sighed. "But I really don't know if Madam Sato would drink this if she knew I made it."

Saori smiled. "Don't worry, I'll tell her I made it."

Mamori felt another sigh escape her, one of relief.

Youichi chewed on the last of his sandwich. "Fucking old maid, what time is the fucking old woman waking up?"

"Youichi!” Mamori flustered, bowing slightly to Saori. “Oh, I’m so sorry, he can be so rude!"

Saori laughed it off. "Don’t worry about it. She's probably awake now so it’s best to prepare yourselves."

"Ah, Youichi! We need to clean the table!" Mamori panicked, taking off her apron.

"5 more minutes."

"Don't give me that, there's no time! We can go once you're done packing up and I set up the table!"

"Oh, have you both had your breakfast yet?" Saori asked.

"Well we both had sandwiches and coffee. Something that stupid fucking old woman won't appreciate," said Youichi, grinning as he folded his laptop.

Saori watched as Mamori packed a big bento box as well as some other side dishes. After Youichi had cleared off the table (Saori had offered but was told that only he or Mamori was allowed to do so as the papers needed to be arranged accordingly), Mamori quickly set up the table for both Kaede and Saori as Saori grilled mackarel and cut pickles for today's breakfast.

The newly wed couple was just about ready to go when Kaede finally left her room, head slightly raised to give a look of disdain. "Leaving so soon, I see."

"We have a game today," Mamori replied. "Madam Sato."

"Is it that awful game Yuuya mentioned?" Her words felt cold.

"Yes, and you're welcome to come anytime,” Youichi’s reply was just as cold. “My wife can send you a text of the place. Maybe it will open your eyes a little, fucking old witch."

"Youichi, please!" Mamori scolded, but admitted defeat when Youichi sauntered out. She bowed at Kaede. "Please excuse us, we're heading off."

Kaede didn't reply, but sat at the table where her breakfast was instead. Mamori closed the door, and Saori proceeded to sit beside her.

“Do you know anything about that game?” asked Saori, who didn’t know anything about it at all.

“Other than it’s a wretched, violent game,” Kaede replied, picking up the miso soup. “I dread to even imagine what it really is.”

“So… will we be going there?”

“I have no interest in such vile activities.” Kaede sipped her soup as Saori nodded and proceeded to drink hers as well.

Then Kaede spoke again. "This miso soup..."

Saori blinked.

\--------------------------------------------------------

It was another stressful game. The Ryukoku Valiants offence was way too strong, and they were winning against the Saikyoudai Wizards 12-0. Mamori took note especially on their Tight End, who was particularly strong and tall, and seemed to give Akaba a hard time too.

"That guy's rhythm... what's going on with that?" he mumbled as Mamori passed him some water during time out.

"Get your fucking asses back together!" Youichi called for the team, machine gun ringing in the air with flying bullets. The team gathered around him as he pulled out a white board and quickly drew out some formations. At this point, Mamori took Hashimoto's video recording and took a closer look at the Tight End's movements.

The moment Youichi was done with the hurdle, Mamori called out to him. "Look here," she opened the camera screened and played back the game. "When we're on the offense, his movements are often erratic, right? But if you look carefully there's a pattern on when his defense is down and Akaba could break through."

Youichi watched carefully. "Do you think you'll be able to catch this moment?"

"I could but..." Mamori bit her lip.

“But what?”

“I’m a little hesitant to use hand signals after what happened.”

"Oi, don't fucking worry. Those Mendou assholes aren't here. I just need a quick signal, even before it happens. Understand?"

Mamori took a deep breath and nodded.

The game continued and things were looking a little bit better with Yamato scoring a touchdown, but Mamori had yet to realise two new presence had join in the stands. Saori and Kaede had seated themselves among an especially rowdy crowd that was cheering as loudly as possible. "Such a disgusting display of support," said Kaede, who settled herself at a corner, hoping to keep away from most of the crowd. "But I suppose it's fitting for such a brute sport like this."

"Oh, there's Mamori! She's sitting on the bench! Look at how focused she is in watching the game," said Saori, pointing at the figure in the distance.

And it was in that moment that Kaede kept a close watch on Mamori, who was now deeply focused on the Tight End of the opposing team. The moment they were looking for was close at hand.

"Hashimoto, any updates?" Mamori asked.

He shook his head. "Everything seems to be going as you said. The Valiants will definitely be focusing on Ikkyuu after this. The goal is to stop the Tight End, right? Are the Wizards going to use the same tactic?"

"We'll see." Mamori clenched her clipboard to her chest...

And began to signal.

Youichi replied back quickly, a sign to show that he was about to implement their tactic to attack the Tight End. But in the distance, someone in a black suit was signaling back.

Kurosaki Eric of the Mendou Fighters was on the opposite stands. He looked smug, and signaled something back...

But to Mamori's horror, she didn't understand it. She felt her body turn cold as she did her best to interpret this strange signals, but all she could figure out was that somehow... in someway, Kurosaki Eric figured out her plans. She tried desperately to warn Youichi, but it was too late.

She watched in horror as Akaba attacked the Tight End, but was instead body slammed by the Tight End instead. As the Tight End got up, Akaba laid motionless on the ground.

He was badly injured.

"Akaba-kun!" Mamori screamed out, but the game went on. In a desperate attempt to salvage the moment, Youichi threw the ball as far as he could towards Taka instead of Ikkyuu, who caught the ball without looking back, and with a feint passed it to Yamato.

They managed to score another touchdown.

But Mamori couldn't celebrate. She was already running towards the field with the Medic. She helped them in assessing his wounds. She knew that he had badly bruised his right back shoulder. Could there be a broken bone? How did this happen?

Akaba was placed on a stretcher, and from what little she understood, could have possibly pulled a muscle in his shoulder and it was swelling badly. He needed to be off the game. Youichi called on a replacement. “He may not be the best but he will do the basics,” he muttered to himself.

“Youichi,” Mamori whispered, as the rest of the team went back into formation. He heard her, turned to look, nodded, and went back to formation as Mamori left the field.

Mamori went back to the bench, sat down and began to write the data she gathered in the last play down. But how could she explain the strange signals Kurosaki showed? Her mind began to swell up with concerns. _Is this okay? Should I be worried?_

"Anezaki-san, are you okay?" Hashimoto asked, looking deeply concerned.

Mamori smiled at him. "I'm okay, just a little flustered."

Another voice spoke up behind them. "You should be."

Mamori shot up and turned to see a tall, young man dressed in a black suit just behind the bench, black slick hair and thick glasses. 

It was Kurosaki Eric, finally appearing before her. "You're not allowed here..." said Mamori cautiously, looking around.

He shrugged. "It's okay, my father and I pretty much have free reign around the stadiums, seeing as we sponsor a lot of its events." He grinned at her. "Did you like having your thoughts read?"

Mamori's pressed her lips tightly together. This man was definitely after her and was playing mind tricks against her.

"This is a strange game you’re playing, Kurosaki-san,” Mamori stressed on his name. “If you were in the game, these tactics would have been fine. But this isn't even your team, how did they know..."

Kurosaki raised his phone to show a text he sent, detailing exactly what Mamori and Youichi had planned, right down to the hand signals she would send to alert him of that moment. "I sent this to the manager of Ryukoku Valiants, right before the game started. Their entire team knows what you're going to do, and I alert them of any signals you may send to your Quarterback."

Mamori held her head high. “That’s convenient. But you didn’t answer my question. Why the Valiants? Why not use these tactics when you’re playing against us?”

Kurosaki grinned. “Because I want you broken by then.”

Mamori couldn’t hide her shock. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, and even Hashimoto was audibly choking behind her.

“You see, everyone else thinks Football happens only on the field,” he continued. “But I see it differently. I know that support plays a major role too, and the Wizards have the best support I have ever seen. In the form of you.”

He was getting closer to her now, and Mamori instinctively took a step back, her mind pulling up the data on his size and weight that was surprisingly similar to Banba and that he could easily overpower her. “So you’ve been watching me?”

“Yes. Ever since I saw you in the Christmas Bowl. I made sure to get every tape recording of the Devil Bats ever since. Most of them were worthless. They focused on the field when they, instead, should be focusing on you.

But I got them. From every team that played against the Devil Bats, I even got every creeps’ recording of you on the bench, those who just want to capture your beauty but somehow captured you at your best. I got them all. Analysed it. Got all I needed to know about your unique signals with your Quarterback.”

Mamori clutched her file closer to her chest as he drew closer. “Why are you even telling me all of this? Why not just break me and be done with it?”

“Because I know you’re up to something, and I wanted you to know one thing.” He grabbed Mamori’s left wrist and drew her closer to him, forcing her to look straight into his blue eyes.

“You can’t beat me.”

SMACK!

Mamori slapped his face, forcing him away from her. Dumbfounded, he touched the side of his face, and turned to see a fire raging in Mamori’s eyes. “Intimidate me all you want but don’t you dare touch me!” she shouted at him. “Furthermore, go ahead and look down on me but don’t you dare look down on the Wizards! Treating me like I’m their biggest weakness is the biggest mistake you’ll ever make!”

Kurosaki stared, but eventually laughed. “That’s it. Keep fighting. It’ll make breaking you even more worth it.”

Hashimoto finally ran in front of Mamori, legs shaking. “Leave Anezaki-san alone! The game is still going on, we need to focus!”

“Hashimoto-kun!” cried Mamori.

“Fine, I’m done with what I came here for anyways.” Kurosaki turned around, giving them a backhanded wave. “I really am looking forward to whatever little plan you have to defeat me, Anezaki Mamori.”

Hashimoto maintained a straight face, but collapsed once Kurosaki was out of view. “Hashimoto-kun!” Mamori cried as she lifted him. “Are you okay?”

“I should be asking you that!” Hashimoto quickly pulled himself together and faced Mamori. “Are you okay? He’s horrible for treating you that way! That’s not proper football!”

Mamori smiled in earnest, but couldn’t hide all of her concern. “Well, he’s not wrong. Mind games are exactly what Football is all about. You should know that, seeing how our Quarterback is like.”

“But to us managers?? That’s insane!”

“Yes, but this is the kind of insanity that makes Football interesting. Don’t you think?” Mamori shrugged. “By the way, please tell me you’re still recording the game.”

“I-I left it on the bench and focused on our goal post just as you requested.”

“That’s good,” said Mamori as she reached for the camera and rewinded it. As she watched the video play, Hashimoto looked on with concern.

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Hmm?” Mamori looked up for a moment at him.

“Well… aren’t you scared that he may actually break you?”

“Hashimoto-kun,” Mamori said sternly which made Hashimoto panic.

He gulped. “Yes, ma’am!”

“I have you and the rest of the team supporting me too,” she smiled. “It’ll be okay. Now let’s focus on the game.”

Hashimoto stared as Mamori resumed looking at the tape. But feeling assured somehow, he smiled. “Okay!”

\------------------------------------------

The stadium seemed to have erupted when the Wizards finally won with a score of 20-18. Even Hashimoto couldn’t help but scream loudly when they scored with a kick that finally led to their victory. “That was amazing! Anezaki-san, we did it!”

“Yes, we did,” Mamori replied calmly, and it was then that Hashimoto realised she was still looking calmly at her notes.

“Aren’t you celebrating?”

But she dismissed him and put her notes down. “The team is coming.”

The new members ran up to Hashimoto and lifted him up in a comical way, shouting, “We’re the best!” as the rest of them went to Mamori to get their towels and drinks.

“Great work today, Anezaki,” said Yamato, giving her a charming smile as he took a bottle of water from her.

“Y-yes, great work as always,” said Ikkyuu, obviously hiding his bashful demeanour around her as she also passed him a bottle of water.

“You guys did great even with the absence of Akaba,” said Mamori.

“How is he by the way?” Banba asked.

“I checked on him earlier. He’s fine,” said Mamori. “The swelling has dropped after he was treated but he should be all right in a week or so. He claims if Hiruma-kun could heal from a broken bone as fast as he did, it shouldn’t be a problem.” Mamori laughed and shook her head. 

“We may have to worry about his catching abilities after this, though,” said Taka, grabbing a towel.

“Keh, he’ll get back into his fucking rhythm soon enough,” said Youichi as he grabbed another bottle from Mamori. As everyone else was either distracted with talk or heading to the showers, Youichi whispered into Mamori’s ear. “Fucking clever you are.”

Mamori suppressed her own grin. “I told you it might happen. It’s a good thing you pay attention.”

“He may be able to read our hand signals but there’s definitely no way he can read you when you’re eating those damn creampuffs,” Youichi cackled.

“Do you know how hard it is to resist eating one of those when it’s right in front of you?” Mamori cried. “Having to wait for the right moment and watch the play while my eyes and mouth clearly wanted only the creampuff.”

Youichi cackled loudly. “You are amazing, you fucking glutton!”

“Anyways, I guess this means I won’t be bringing creampuffs to the game anymore,” Mamori sighed. “Kurosaki Eric is going to watch my every move even more from now on.”

Youichi grinned. “Tough luck to him trying to figure out your signals. He must have forgotten that your signals aren’t just those damn hand signals.”

“I’m sure he put his guard down because creampuffs are what I eat on a regular basis and he thought his little intimidation affected me enough to crave one.”

“Kekeke, maybe you should, just to throw him off even more!”

“You know, I just might do that,” she giggled.

“You’re gonna get fat soon, Fucking Manager,” Youichi cackled.

She pouted at him. “Oh, you! Go hit the showers!” Then she quietly told him, “We have another challenge ahead of us. Our guests are here.”

\------------------------------------

Kaede and Saori stood waiting by the entrance as Youichi and Mamori finally exited the place. “I can’t believe you actually came!” cried Mamori. “I know I sent the text to this place but I really didn’t think-”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing waiting here out in the open?” said Youichi, glaring at them. “We had to wait for everyone to leave before we could get out here.”

“Well, that was an interesting display of events,” said Kaede, as she narrowed her eyes at Mamori, noting that despite the missing wedding rings during the game, they had it back on now. “Don’t think I didn’t see what happened today at the bench, young lady.”

Mamori’s face turned a shade of red. “I did what I had to do.”

“I will be the judge of that,” Kaede raised her head higher and turned to show that she was about to go. “Saori and I are leaving tonight. You can go back to your… ahem… loving ways.”

Mamori blinked. “So soon?”

“I believe I’ve seen enough.”

“But what about my mother’s ashes?” asked Youichi.

“You will hear from me soon enough regarding the matter. There is an urgent matter I need to deal with before I handle the issue regarding my sister’s ashes. Until then, we shall head off first.” Kaede turned away, Saori bowing to the young couple and followed suit as they entered a taxi waiting for them by the road.

Youichi and Mamori could only look on with confusion. “Do you think that went well?” Mamori asked him.

“Fuck if I know,” Youichi replied. He grinned at Mamori. “Well, I suppose that really does leave us to our loving ways.”

Mamori burst out laughing. Youichi watched on, but noticed tears were forming in her eyes. “Come on, it wasn’t that fucking funny.”

Mamori nodded as she wiped her tears before they fell. “I’m just a little stressed out. That’s all. I’m really hoping things with the Sato family goes well.”

Youichi could tell something was wrong. This woman had been incredibly strong the entire day despite the challenges she faced, but once in awhile even the finest cracks were showing. “Keh, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Hmm…” Mamori hummed to herself. Then they both began to walk to Youichi’s car, when in the silence she said, “Let’s go back to your place and have nikujaga (meat and potatoes) for dinner.”

“Don’t you want to go back to your place and get some rest?” he asked, still concerned.

Mamori smiled at him. “Remember that first wish I made? About us having dinner together with no talk about football? I could use that right now.”

He stared at that smile. “... Fine. But let’s not have nikujaga, I’ll take you out for dinner.” His pace quicken as they reached the parking lot.

“Eh? What do you have in mind?” Mamori called out as she hastily tried to keep up with him.

“Kekeke, you’ll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! So here's what's happened to me in the past year. I was suffering from some really bad bouts of anxiety (to top off my depression) and needed a lot of time to recover from it. During this time I had some therapy, supplements, and a lot of traveling to help me deal with this, and I seem to have regained my ability to write stories again so now I'm here!
> 
> With that said, I cannot promise a regular schedule for my fics anymore because I can't say if I can keep this up yet! Things are looking good so far, but life is unpredictable and it's best I not commit to this too much or else I may disappoint you all again. But as I mentioned before, please keep sending a lot of words of support so as to see this fic eventually done. Thanks again for the great support!


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